Technical Abstract: Clostridium perfringens (Cp), a cause of human food-borne and poultry disease, has been isolated from the intestinal tract of poultry and from the processed carcass. Previously we isolated Cp from paper pads used to transport broiler chicks from the hatchery to the farm suggesting that the hatchery may contribute to the transmission of Cp to chickens. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of Cp in samples from the broiler hatchery. Three commercial hatcheries were each sampled three times. For each sampling period, ten samples each of egg shell fragments and chick fluff from the hatchery, 10 paper pads before placement, and 10 paper pads placed underneath chicks for a period of one hour were analyzed for the presence of this organism. Of the total of 90 egg shell samples collected from the three hatcheries, 19% were positive for Cp. Of fluff samples, 29% were positive. Of paper pads before placement beneath chicks, 10% were positive. Of paper pads placed beneath chicks for on hour, 21% were positive. The mean incidence of CP in all 120 samples collected at each of the three hatcheries was 13%, 23% and 23%, respectively, indicating differences between hatcheries in frequency of contamination. Of the total of 360 samples analyzed at the three hatcheries, 20% tested positive. These results confirm that the hatchery is a potential source/reservoir for Cp in the integrated poultry operation.