Commercial day-old chick and hatching-egg sourcing

Who trades day-old chicks (HS 0105.11)

2025 and 2024 values as reported to UN Comtrade (World Bank WITS). Counts are birds; breeding stock and commercial chicks are combined. 2025 reporting is incomplete.

Hatching eggs have no separate ranking here: the 6-digit split was not available, and HS 0407 combines them with table eggs. HS 0407 combines table and hatching eggs of all species; it is not a hatching-egg ranking. See the full market map.

What to put in a chick or hatching-egg specification

• Product: day-old chicks or hatching eggs; broiler, layer or breeder; commercial, parent or grandparent stock.
• Genetic line as named by the breeding company, and whether a substitute line is acceptable.
• Quantity per delivery, placement dates and the full-year schedule; sexed or as-hatched for layers and breeders.
• Vaccinations to be given at the hatchery, and how they will be documented for the receiving veterinarian.
• Source flock and hatchery health status the destination certificate must attest, and who checks it against the permit.
• Packing (chick boxes or egg trays and cases), labelling, and the documents that travel with the consignment.
• Delivery point, Incoterm, and who books the flight, the airport inspection and the road leg to the farm.

Permits and veterinary certificates

What the official pages checked say about live birds and hatching eggs. Full detail, with page update dates, is in import permits and veterinary certificates by product.

European Union

Not shown as a general permit on the pages checked. Entry depends on a listed country and establishment and a pre-notified CHED in TRACES.European Commission — TRACES modules

Great Britain

A GB health certificate and an IPAFFS notification are required; an import licence is needed in some cases (for example hatching eggs whose chicks leave GB within three weeks of hatching).GOV.UK — Import of live poultry (IIN PTTC/2)

United States

Yes — a USDA import permit, except shipments from Canada through a land-border port. Applications go through APHIS eFile (VS 17-129).USDA APHIS — Importing live poultry

South Africa

Yes — a veterinary import permit obtained before the animal or product is shipped; live farm poultry and genetic material also need Animal Improvement authorisation first.South African Government — Import animals and animal products

Saudi Arabia

Yes for live birds, chicks and hatching eggs — a prior import permit from the General Department of Agricultural Affairs (MEWA).MEWA — Frequently asked questions (imports)

United Arab Emirates

Not verified — the MOCCAE live-animal service pages could not be read for this check.

Transport: what the international standards say

• Air containers should allow emergency access to the animals and be made of material that is easily cleaned and disinfected.WOAH Terrestrial Code 7.4 — Transport of animals by air
• Land transport needs experienced, competent handlers, and vehicles and containers should be thoroughly cleaned before each journey.WOAH Terrestrial Code 7.3 — Transport of animals by land
• Poultry should travel in new or appropriately sanitised containers under the avian influenza and Newcastle disease chapters.WOAH Terrestrial Code 10.4 — Infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses

WOAH standards are recommendations; the destination's certificate and permit conditions decide.

Biosecurity on arrival

WOAH chapter 6.5 recommends that any vehicle entering an establishment is cleaned and disinfected, and sets hygiene procedures for hatcheries and egg handling. Read chapter 6.5. For farm zoning and entry control see the poultry farm biosecurity guide; for the first week after placement see the chick placement handover checklist.

When a hatchery project makes more sense

Buyers importing chicks every cycle sometimes compare that with hatching their own eggs. Trade data alone cannot answer this: compare your placement plan with the hatchery capacity calculator, the commercial hatchery planning guide and the farm cost calculator for indicative CAPEX.

Common questions

Can I import day-old chicks from any country?

No. The origin, the source flock and the hatchery must meet the destination's conditions for live poultry, and many destinations need a permit before shipment. Disease events can suspend an origin at short notice — Brazil's agriculture ministry listed new destination restrictions on 21 October 2026.

Are hatching eggs easier to import than chicks?

They follow separate rules, not necessarily easier ones. Hatching eggs are germinal products with their own certificates; they need a hatchery at destination and add incubation time to the plan.

Does HatchMatch sell chicks or hatching eggs?

No. HatchMatch does not own breeder farms, hatcheries or stock. Chicks, hatching eggs and breeder stock can be scoped inside a farm, breeder or hatchery project brief from USD 250,000, reviewed by a person before any supplier is approached.

Why does trade data show very different values per chick?

Customs code 0105.11 combines commercial chicks with much more valuable parent and grandparent stock. A high value per bird usually means breeding stock, so the figures cannot be used as a chick price.