Green’s Dictionary of Slang

hotch v.

[Scot. hotch]

to swarm with, to burst with.

[UK]M. Marshall Tramp-Royal on the Toby 107: I [...] spent a most horrible night trying to sleep in an old abandoned shack that was hotching with dirty big rats.
[Scot]I. Welsh Trainspotting 28: The Bridges is hotchin wi minge.