Allen Harim will hatch baby chicks from a new $22 million Dagsboro facility starting next fall.
The poultry giant says its new hatchery will be able to produce 2.5 million eggs per week.
They’ve been growing no-antibiotic chickens since 2015.
Spokeswoman Cathy Bassett says they want to give their chicken the “best start possible”, and that starts at birth.
“It’s important for our growers to have the best chicks possible, the healthiest chicks possible and this is an investment into the future that’s going to ensure that our chickens are the healthiest chickens right from the start,” Bassett said.
They’ll consolidate their current Dagsboro hatchery and their Seaford hatchery into one facility, and update infrastructure and technology. The new facility will recycle up to 80 percent of the water it uses.
Construction has already begun on the facility. After it's built, Allen Harim will close its Seaford hatchery.
Once the Seaford hatchery closes and the new Dagsboro one opens, Delmarva will have a total of 11 hatcheries as a part of its $3.2 billion poultry industry, according to Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.
Over the last few years, Allen Harim has also invested more than $5 million in its feed mill and $30 million into its Harbesson processing facility.
