hatchery

American  

[hach-uh-ree] / ˈhætʃ ə ri /

noun

hatcheries plural

1. a place for hatching eggs of hens, fish, etc., especially a large, commercial or government site where the young are hatched, cared for, and sold or distributed.

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hatchery British  

/ ˈhætʃərɪ /

noun

1. a place where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subhatchery
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hatcheries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hatchery

First recorded in 1875–80; hatch ¹ + -ery

Explanation

A hatchery is a place where fish or bird eggs are hatched. Do you want to raise chickens so you can have fresh eggs every day? You'll probably buy your birds as babies from a hatchery. Small poultry hatcheries produce chicks that are usually sold to backyard farmers. Larger poultry hatcheries are more like factories, supplying chickens for meat or eggs to enormous corporations. Fish hatcheries are an important part of fish farming, providing a safe place for eggs to hatch and fish to grow large enough to be used for food.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hatchery hatcheries

But scientists and hatchery experts are now questioning whether these beautiful electric blue crustaceans are truly as rare as once was believed.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

"Interestingly, when we deploy them into containers in the sea, they often shift to a darker, more natural blue. But when they return to the hatchery, they become lighter again."

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

It continued when they were hauled about 50 miles north to a hatchery in Fillmore, where they hung out until 266 of them made it to Arroyo Hondo the following month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2025

Next, a coalition of those tribes, state agencies and nonprofits unleashed a limited supply of hatchery fish to boost runs in places like the Big Quilcene River.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

Although studies are still under way to determine the exact cause of this epidemic over so wide an area, the best evidence is said to point to some agent present in the prepared hatchery feeds.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

When environmentalists countered with expensive government salmon hatcheries, the bass adapted, hiding in the shallows surrounding the hatcheries, where they are treated to an endless buffet of salmon fingerlings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

Mr Weston believes this may be due to environmental factors such as light exposure, as hatcheries may be brighter than the seabed, influencing pigmentation.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

As detailed by National Geographic, it is a common practice in salmon hatcheries to harvest salmon sperm, which requires a scientist to squeeze a salmon in the right spot — also known as abdominal massaging.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2024

The federal government opened salmon hatcheries to compensate, but they have not produced enough fish to make up for the losses from poor water management.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2024

He ended up getting a job at one of the few hatcheries in the state that wasn’t owned by Mr. Lyndon.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata