Trillium Hatchery Inc. (Trillium), a consortium of Ontario farmers, is opening a leading-edge chicken hatching facility in Stratford, Ontario in 2018. Trillium is responding to the demand from hatching egg and chicken farmers, as well as Ontario consumers.

Currently in Ontario, there are only three major producers of chicks, all of which use traditional technologies. This market structure is insufficient to meet the growing demand and evolving tastes of Ontario consumers. For example, consumers are demanding chickens raised without antibiotics, improvements in animal welfare and more diverse products.

Trillium will create jobs in southwestern Ontario by bringing a revolutionary technology, called HatchCare, to Ontario to meet these demands. HatchCare provides hatched chicks with a superior environment throughout the entire hatching process. Chicks hatch under optimum and uniform temperature conditions. At the same time, they are provided with light, feed and water as soon as they hatch. This combination not only results in a system that delivers stronger, healthier chicks but is also a significant step towards more animal-friendly and antibiotic-free poultry production.