Column: Overcoming the hatchability crisis

At the end of January 2025, I visited Atlanta for the IPSF and IPPE. During several meetings with individuals from the US breeder industry, the “hatchability crisis” was frequently mentioned. Data from the USDA shows that the average hatchability of hatching eggs in the US has decreased by an average of 0.5% annually between 2012 and 2024, dropping from 85% to 79%. Additionally, the production of hatching eggs and chicks per hen housed is also declining, which leads to significantly h