HatchTech, HuaYu and Hy-Line officially signed a contract Sept. 6 for the construction of the world’s largest layer hatchery. The hatchery will be built in Handan, in the Hebei province of China, and will have a total capacity of 55 million commercial layers per year.

Patented MicroClimer technology in HatchTech’s setters and hatchers will allow the embryos to be incubated in the most uniformly controlled environment available on the market. The technology allows high-velocity airflow, which is cooled or heated between each section, to be uniformly distributed throughout the incubator.

“HatchTech is well known for its ability to provide superior-quality chicks,” said Wang Lianzeng, chairman of HuaYu Agricultural Science & Technology Co. Ltd. “We’re looking forward to starting our operations at the new facility, where we will combine HatchTech’s knowledge and technology with our own expertise in order to provide top-quality layer hens to the Chinese market.”

Huibert Jan van Veelen, HatchTech’s international sales manager in China, said, “HuaYu and Hy-Line are renowned companies that both have significant expertise and years of experience in layer production. We’re very happy to work together with them on such a large-scale project.”