Ever wonder how a chicken gets from the farm to you? In this three part series, we give you the whole story of a chicken from hatching to when it’s delivered to you, the consumer. Let’s start right at the beginning in the hatcheries. About once or twice a week, hatcheries take fertilized eggs from breeder farms, which are then placed into incubators. The incubation period lasts about 21 days before the eggs begin to hatch. Next, the chicks are separated by sex. Traditionally, farmers will place birds of the same sex in the same barn, as males and females grow at different rates. Before leaving the hatchery, the birds are vaccinated to prevent illness, and then chicks are placed into heated trucks and delivered to farmers within 6-12 hours of hatching. The chicks are primarily raised in family farms. Unlike many other places in the world, over 90% of Canada’s farms are family-owned. Raising chickens requires a high degree of commitment and knowledge. During the seven or eight weeks that it takes to raise a flock, the farmer gives constant care and attention to their health and feeding. In the next post of the series, we’ll tell you all about how the chickens are raised and talk a little about what is in the chickens’ feed.