Overview

Over 100 years ago, a chicken was grown for egg and meat production.  Today, there are three types of chicken being grown, one for eggs (layer), one for meat (broiler), and one for hatching eggs (broiler breeder).  The BC Chicken Marketing Board regulates the production of Broiler Chickens.

Broiler Breeders produce the eggs that are hatched into a broiler chicken.  A broiler breeder barn will have roosters and hens for the eggs to be fertilized and then hatch.  Each hen will lay up to 150 eggs in her lifetime.  The eggs are collected at least two times a day, inspected, and then placed into trays with the large side up.  These eggs are stored in a cooler at 15-21°C (59-70°F) until the hatchery truck comes to pick them up in temperature regulated trucks.  This usually happens twice a week.

Once the eggs arrive at the hatchery, the eggs are placed in an incubator.  They will stay here for 18 days.  The eggs are turned approximately once an hour to make sure the developing chick does not touch the shell.  After 18 days, they will be moved into another room, called a hatcher.  The eggs are not turned in this room and they will hatch into chicks in three days.  All together, it takes 21 days to hatch a chicken egg.

Most chicks are vaccinated at the hatchery.  This is done either by injecting the vaccine into the shell of the egg when it is moved from the incubator to the hatcher, or by spraying the vaccine over the chicks just after they have hatched.  Vaccinating protects the chicks against certain diseases.

After the chicks have hatched, they are sorted, counted and placed into crates for easy transport to the farm.  The trucks used to transport the chicks are heated so that the chicks are comfortable throughout their journey.

The chicks are then carried into the warm, clean barns full of fresh bedding and placed on the floor.  There is plenty of feed and water close to the ground so the chicks can find and reach it with ease.  The chicks will stay in the barn for 5 to 6 weeks until they are about 2 kgs.  At this time, they will be loaded into crates and sent to the processing plant.

Please see “Raising a Chicken” for more information on how chicken farmers care for their flocks.