In a commercial hatchery, broiler chicks hatch within a period of 24-48 hours in an incubator. During this time, no water or feed is available to the chicks that hatch first. Only once the hatching phase is over, all of the hatched chicks are removed from the incubator and transported to the barns for rearing within a maximum period of 72 hours. The Animal Welfare Transport Ordinance does not count the time from the first hatched chick until placement in the barn for the 72-hour time window, but only the time from when all the chicks are taken out of the incubator. It is thus very common that more than 72 hours have passed from the time of the first hatching in the incubator to the first possibility to feed on-farm. In fact, the “first hatchlings” that have already been in the incubator for 3 days may suffer from food and water deprivation while they await sufficient care. Therefore, the “Hatch-Care” system was developed. This system offers the newly hatched chicks feed and water while they are still in the incubator at the hatchery. Broiler producers can select such a hatchery for chick supply and benefit from stronger, higher-welfare chicks for an optimal start.