Aviagen Opens Its 9th and Largest Hatchery in US

August 23, 2019 – HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – To meet a growing demand for quality broiler breeding stock around the world, Aviagen® has built a new parent stock (PS) hatchery in Quitman, Ga. The grand opening ceremony was held on Aug. 22, where Aviagen CEO Jan Henriksen welcomed and extended his appreciation to Quitman Mayor Nancy Dennard, other state and local government officials, and many who played a significant role in establishing the new facility.

High capacity and biosecurity features with Platinum 2.0
The hatchery’s significant production capacity is made possible using 80 Jamesway Platinum 2.0 next generation incubators and 56 Jamesway Platinum next generation hatchers. Modern environmental and hygiene-control features ensure the maximum health, welfare and biosecurity for the hatching eggs and chicks. The same biosecurity and high capacity were behind the installation of Platinum machines at their expansion at Sallisaw Oklahoma recently.

Aviagen’s largest US hatchery
The 78,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility becomes the 9th and largest in Aviagen’s US fleet, with the ability to set 1.1 million eggs per week. The company has invested $28 million in the Quitman hatchery, which will result in the creation of up to 100 new jobs for the local workforce.

The Quitman GP hatchery will enable the company to better serve the needs of customers in the US and abroad, while meeting an ever-increasing demand for quality breeding stock. While the Quitman hatchery will supply domestic customers, it is also strategically located near major interstate corridors, allowing easy access to Miami and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airports for easy export to more than 80 countries around the world. We anticipate that the majority of international shipments from the Quitman hatchery will be destined for customers in Latin America.

Henriksen explains, “Aviagen is very much about our people in local communities, and shares with our customers a mission to provide a nutritious and affordable protein source that they can depend on. Through continuous improvements in our breeding program and strategic investments such as the Quitman hatchery, we strengthen our ability to secure a consistent supply of healthy, robust breeding chicks to our customers on a global scale.”

Expanding its footprint in the US, in addition to the Quitman hatchery, Aviagen also invested in a new feed processing facility in Sallisaw, Okla., last year.

Please see a video tour for an inside look at the workings of the Quitman hatchery. Click Here

About Aviagen

Aviagen® is a global poultry breeding company that develops pedigree lines for the production of commercial broiler chickens under the Arbor Acres®, Indian River®, and Ross® brand names. The Rowan Range® and Specialty Males® are specialty breeding stock from Aviagen that offer greater flexibility for customers to meet specific or niche market requirements. The company is based in Huntsville, Alabama, USA with a number of wholly-owned operations across the United Kingdom, Europe, Turkey, Latin America, India, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.A., and joint ventures in Asia. Aviagen employs more than 4,600 people and has a distribution network serving customers in more than 100 countries.