1.
hatchery; hatching facility
A facility where eggs — most commonly those of fish, chickens, or other birds — are incubated and hatched under controlled conditions. Used in fisheries, poultry farming, and conservation programs for releasing young fish or birds into the wild.
Composed of 孵化 (hatching, incubation) and the suffix -場 (place, site, facility). Refers to a physical site where eggs are hatched on an industrial or large scale, most often in the context of fisheries (水産) or poultry.
Usage
Most commonly heard in news reports and technical writing about fisheries and conservation, where salmon and trout hatcheries are a familiar institution in Japan. It can also describe bird and insect breeding facilities, but for household pets or small-scale hobby breeding, speakers usually prefer 孵卵器 (incubator) or simply describe the setup. The -場 suffix emphasizes the facility as a whole rather than a single piece of equipment.
Common collocations
- 鮭の孵化場: salmon hatchery
- 孵化場を運営する: to operate a hatchery
- 孵化場で育てる: to raise at a hatchery
- 稚魚を孵化場から放流する: to release young fish from a hatchery
- 国営孵化場: state-run hatchery
Similar words
- 孵卵器: incubator — the machine or apparatus used to incubate eggs, not a facility
- 養殖場: aquaculture farm — where fish are farmed to maturity, often downstream of a hatchery
- 種苗センター: fry/seedling center — an official term for a government-run fish-breeding center
- 養鶏場: poultry farm — raises chickens, sometimes including a hatching operation
Related Words
Compare:
孵卵器 (incubator)