Founded in 1986, the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers (CHEP) represents nearly 300 farmers from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Québec. CHEP finances its activities through levies collected from the members.
Most people think an egg is an egg. That’s not quite true. The white eggs that people buy in stores are produced specifically for human consumption. A broiler hatching egg is never sold at stores and is not meant for human consumption. Broiler hatching eggs are fertile and are sent to hatcheries where they hatch 21 days later into broiler chicks. These chicks are then sent to chicken farmers who grow these chicks into chickens for human consumption.
The broiler hatching egg industry is a highly specialized industry that is at the foundation of Canada’s chicken industry. Our members produce $200 million worth of hatching egg that supplies the hatchery sector with roughly 80% of Canada’s requirements.
