Allen Harim officially broke ground on October 25 to begin the construction phase of a new $22 million state-of-the-art hatchery in Dagsboro, Delaware.
The new 70,000 square-foot facility will be built on the company’s 19.84-acre site on Nine Foot Road in Dagsboro. It will have an egg-set capacity of 2.5 million eggs per week. Using water reuse technology, up to 80 percent of the water used at the hatchery will be recycled. The machinery will be supplied by Jamesway Incubator Company Inc. and includes 60 Platinum 2.0 P120 Single Stage Incubators and 30 Platinum 2.0 P40 Single Stage Hatchers.
Jamesway equipment fits into Allen Harim’s vision, with incubators and hatchers that are the most energy efficient on the market and produce the highest quality of chick with machines that are reliable and easy to use.
Jamesway is proud to be supplying the machines for this hatchery which will also measure its operation’s effectiveness with a view to sustainability and environmental consciousness. Jason Anderson, Area Sales Manager, credits the Jamesway name: “our customers know that when they buy our machines they are also buying our expertise and service. We are going to help our customer get to where they want to be.” This represents the 6th multi-million dollar hatchery for Jamesway in North America this year.
“This is an exciting moment for this company and a significant investment for our company on Delmarva,” said Allen Harim President and CEO Joe Moran. “Our No Antibiotic Ever chicken requires us to have the healthiest and strongest chicks right from the start, and this new hatchery will ensure that. This facility will be energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and the most technologically-advanced hatchery on Delmarva.”
The Dagsboro hatchery was built in 1973 by Cargill, and was purchased by the former Allen Family Foods in 1988. The 38,000-square- foot facility is being used as the backup hatchery for the company, due to the age of the equipment and the infrastructure. The new building’s footprint will encompass the old structure, and require all new equipment and systems throughout.
It will take about a year to build, and once it is operational, the company will close its main hatchery in Seaford, Delaware. Employees at both facilities will be offered jobs at the new hatchery or at other Allen Harim operations.
