         Commercial chicken  The production complex   The
hatchery    • 1 Broiler chickens are bred especially for
meatiness, quick growth, and weight gain. Most chickens used for
meat in this country are a hybrid of Comish males and White Rock
females. The hatchery houses a flock of thousands of chickens.
The hatchery building is a large open space similar to the house
where broilers are raised, except it contains many small houses
set inside it, which look like miniature versions of the
traditional chicken coop. When the hens are ready to lay, they
seek shelter in the coop. The eggs are collected from the coops
and taken to incubate. The breeder hens live for about 45 weeks,
after which they are no longer considered productive. These
"spent" hens are slaughtered and their meat is usually used for
pet food or bought by food companies that use cooked, diced meat
(such as in soups).     • 2 The eggs are placed in large walk-in
incubators. The eggs are kept warm and periodically rotated by
machine. They begin t