October 15, 2015

Aviagen completes expansion of hatchery in Oklahoma, US

Aviagen has announced the completion of a US$9.5 million expansion of its hatchery in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, US.

The expansion promoted the Sallisaw hatchery to become the largest among Aviagen's US fleet, increasing the hatchery's performance by 50% and its workforce by 20%.

Opened in 1993, the hatchery had an initial capacity of 33,546,240 eggs set annually. With the expansion, Sallisaw has a potential to set up to 50,319,360 eggs yearly (322,560 per week), a rise of close to 50%.

Additionally, while the previous Sallisaw operation hatched two to three days per week, the newly expanded hatchery could increase to a four-day hatch week. To accommodate the larger operation, the facility plans to augment its workforce by 20%, adding 15 staff positions to its current 71 full-time employees.

Construction on the original 56,800 square feet hatchery began in November 2014. The facility was expanded by an additional 16,350 square feet, and fitted with state-of-the art technology, including 24 new Jamesway P-40 setters and 24 P-20 Hatchers.

The Oklahoma hatchery supplies parent and grandparent stock for all of Aviagen's commercial brands. According to Jason Mack, Aviagen North America's vice president of operations, the expansion is a direct response to a growing global demand for Aviagen products.

"The Sallisaw hatchery ships broiler breeding stock to customers all around the world, including North America, Asia and Latin America," Mack said. "The expansion will better position us to keep pace as our worldwide customer base continues to increase."