On-farm hatching to improve broiler welfare from the start

In a commercial hatchery, broiler chicks hatch within a period of 24-48 hours in a hatcher. During this time, usually no water or feed is available. Only once the hatching phase is over, all the chicks are removed from the hatcher, whereafter they go through a range of hatchery procedures before they are transported to the barns for rearing. An alternative to this, is hatching on-farm, i.e., within the barn. This way, the chicks have immediately access to light, water and feed after hatch, while hatchery procedures, transport and unloading are avoided.