Hy-Cross opens
Lititz hatchery
BY DEBBIE KOONTZ
LANCASTER Agriculture
Secretary Penrose Hallowell was
special guest at the open house of a
new Hy-Cross hatchery in Lititz,
Wednesday.
Hy-Cross, a division of Hypro
Industries and distributor for the
Hy-Line Company an lowa firm
that distributes 30 percent of the
egg-laying chicks in the nation
hopes to have their new ?1 million
plant in full operation by mid
November.
The decision was reached to
start a plant in Lancaster County
due>'to the increasing number of
breeding flocks in the area. Ac
PA igriculture Secretary Penrose Halloweir, they are holding were brought here from their
his wife, and Vicki Waas, egg promotion Doylestown hatchery, as the new one will not
specialist from PDA, were special guests at the be in full operation till mid-November,
opening of Hy-Cross’ new hatchery. The chicks
cording to Bob Keener, hatchery
manager, the new plant will
produce approximately 100,000
pullets per week, making the total
for Hy-Cross 170,000 in Penn
sylvania with their Doylestown
plant.
Those attending were treated to
a tour of the hatchery which
featured nine incubators, each
able to hold 78,000 eggs. The in
cubators are kept at a warm 99
degrees at 85 percent relative
humidity.
After 19 days in the incubators,
the eggs are moved to hatch in
cubators where they remain for
approximately three days. The
Hy-Cross has become a permanent part of
Lancaster County after the opening of their
hatchery, Wednesday. Located along West
plant currently houses' 12 hatch
incubators, with plans for three
more. According to Keener, it will
take approximately 21 days to
hatch the eggs at the new plant.
Lancaster farming, Saturday, October 17,1981—A23
After birth, the chicks are put on
a conveyor belt which leads to a
vaccinating machine. Here a
worker vaccinates each chick for
Maerk’s disease - a disease that
caused great damage to the
poultry- industry in Lancaster
County in the early ‘7os. Twenty
Ag events open
Monday at Park City
LANCACTEH Quilting, dairy
product eating contests, craft
activities and livestock displays
will highlight a week-long schedule
of agricultural events planned at
Park City beginning on Monday.
The Monday-through-Saturday
schedule of events is being spon
sored by the Lancaster County
Fanners Association.
The schedule of events;
Monday - Decorating with
fabric, 1-3 p.m.; ribbon cutting,
4;30p.ra.; country supper, 6 p.m.;
cake decorating, 7 p.m.
Tuesday - Country Junque
(antiques), 1-3 p.m.; pigskin
flowers, 7-9 p.m.; milk chugging
competition, 7:30 p.m.
Orange St., in Lititz, the hatchery is expected
to produce 100,000 chicks a week.
five hundred chicks can be vac
cinated for the disease in one.hour.
Speaking for Hy-Cross during
afternoon services and a chicken
barbecue, Andy Hansen told the
crowd they were “happy to finally
become a permanent part of the
Lancaster area.”
The new plant is housed in the
same building which belonged to
Babcock Poultry Farm before they
stopped business about four years
ago. It is located on S3IW. Orange
Street, Lititz.
Wednesday - Rug braiding and
smocking, 1-3 p.m.; framing
stitchery,7-9p.m.;
Thursday - Christmas things
you can make, 7-9 p.m.
Friday - Rose paint mauling and
tole painting, 1-3 p.m.
Saturday - Flower judging, 1-3
p.m.; ice cream eating contest, 2
p.m.; coffee and tour, 6 p.m.;
square dance, 7:30 p.m.; country
auction, 8:30 p.m.
The feature of the auction will be
a hand-made quilt which will be
made throughout the week. Other
items to be auctioned include
antiques and craft items.
The Muppets and Milky the
Robot- will be present throughout
the week.