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

The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District even has its own fish hatchery, where it rears the aptly named Western mosquitofish.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

Chris Weston, senior hatchery technician at the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, Cornwall, has observed colour changes in lobsters raised in captivity.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

They’ll need to be transferred into hatchery trucks outfitted with large tanks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025

Now the delta smelt is functionally extinct in the wild, the species preserved only through a state and federal hatchery program, the success of which is uncertain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2025

She told him of her work at the fish hatchery, after her discharge from the Birthing Center.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

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

For decades, government-run hatcheries in the Central Valley have reared and released millions of salmon each year to help boost their numbers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 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

Many are now raised in government-run hatcheries before being released back into their native waters to later return to those same hatcheries.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 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