🎣 🌅 ⛹🏾 What is an egg incubator? 📎 🧟 👎🏻

Few poultry do not know what an incubator is. Independent incubation of eggs can significantly save on updating livestock. In addition, the withdrawal of chicks can significantly interest breeders and people who are simply passionate about their work. In order not to get lost among many models, you need to select it according to individual parameters, which will be described below.

Benefits

There are poultry farmers who have not yet been touched by scientific progress. They sincerely do not understand why an incubator is needed at home, if the hens themselves perfectly cope with this task. There is a certain logic in this, since the chicken, when it hatches the chicks, does not leave them, and subsequently, which greatly facilitates the person's care of them. But this, perhaps, the benefits and end.

Now let's look at the benefits of an incubator.

The maximum number of chickens a chicken can plant at one time is twenty. Its dimensions simply will not allow more. A much larger number of eggs can easily fit in an incubator - from 30 to 1000 pieces, and more in production ones.
A bird that hatches eggs can be frightened by some kind of extraneous noise, and it will leave the clutch, which will lead to the death of the chicks that have not yet hatched. What is an incubator? This is a mechanism, a "soulless machine", which is not afraid of any noise and knocking.
And the main advantage of the incubator is that it allows you to get chickens and not disrupt the process of obtaining eggs. For those who don’t know, the chicken that hatches the chickens ceases to rush for this period. She also does not give eggs and the entire period while nursing the chicks. In total, this is approximately three months. Now count how many eggs can be stored provided that the average chicken carries one egg per day. Those involved in the sale of eggs have long appreciated what an incubator for eggs is - he has become their faithful assistant in business.

Withdrawal Conditions

It does not matter who is engaged in the breeding of chicks, chicken or mechanism, this process takes twenty-one days. And the conditions in both cases should be observed approximately the same.

The main advantage that an incubator for eggs can provide us with is the optimal temperature necessary for successful hatching. It is 38 degrees and a deviation of even one degree can cause the death of the entire brood. And it is the conditions of the incubator that can maintain the temperature at this level.

In addition, the eggs must be constantly turned over. In nature, this is done by chicken, in inexpensive models a small number of eggs is a human being, and in more expensive models this function is performed by an automatic egg incubator. The instruction without fail contains a description of the model and an indication of this function. Therefore, before purchasing, be sure to ensure that your incubator provides for an automatic flip.

Automatic egg incubator

The incubation mode is controlled by a large number of various sensors, automatically setting the optimum for successful hatching. Such an incubator greatly facilitates the life of the poultry breeder - he may not check it for days, and the mechanism will do everything on its own.

There are models that not only monitor the temperature and turn eggs over, but also monitor the level of humidity, which is also very important in the hatching process.

Automatic egg flipping

What is an incubator with automatic egg flipping is probably understandable. But how does this process happen? You should know that the turning process can be carried out in three ways, which can significantly affect the price of the model.

Rollers. These are the most expensive models equipped with special rollers located under each egg. Using this technology, the egg constantly rotates, thus obtaining the most uniform heating. The most effective incubator, but with a rather high cost.
Rolling grate. In such an incubator, the lattice in which the eggs are laid constantly changes its position. Because of this, the eggs are rolled there and evenly heated. Such models are also quite effective and give a high percentage of hatchability. The cost is significantly lower than the first model.
And the cheapest incubator model uses a tilting grid in one direction or the other. But not all eggs are rolled there because of such a device, so they must be checked periodically, having previously been tagged. If you notice that some eggs do not roll over and warm unevenly, they must be turned over manually.

How to choose an incubator for eggs

Decide which hatchery you need to incubate. It can be under a chicken egg, goose, quail, etc.
Choose roominess. No need to take the most capacious, if you do not plan to keep a large number of birds and constantly update it. The optimal incubator for home use contains 100-150 eggs. Such an incubator will cost you no more than three thousand rubles.
Choose a coup method - manual, mechanical or automatic. Keep in mind that even with a small number of eggs, a manual revolution will constantly take your time. Such an incubator should be taken only in those cases when you just want to try the process of breeding chickens and perhaps never return to it again. In mechanical incubators, the coup is carried out by the lever, while all eggs are turned over simultaneously.
Once you have decided on the necessary model, you need to pay attention to the incubator body. It should not have any gaps and openings, it is desirable that it be insulated from the inside and made of materials that do not absorb odors and are resistant to moisture. It is imperative that you have a viewing window, otherwise, if you constantly open the incubator, you will violate the microclimate inside it, which can lead to the death of chicks. In addition, the incubator should be easy to wash and disinfect, since this will need to be done after each brood.
Climate control. Another important point in choosing an incubator. Criteria to pay attention to:
Reserve food. A very important criterion when choosing an incubator. Unfortunately, none of us is immune from sudden blackouts, and above we have already told you what temperature changes can lead to. Typically, in incubators, a car battery is used as a backup power source, which must be purchased separately. It is this condition that leads to the fact that the price of the incubator, which provides for battery operation, is not much higher.
Manufacturer. It may sound strange, but the market has already developed a certain circle of incubator manufacturers that the consumer trusts. If you are a beginner poultry farmer, then do not experiment - it is better to opt for already proven models.

Beginner Poultry Mistakes

If you do not know what an incubator is, and you have never before been involved in hatching, then before laying eggs, you must carefully read the instructions and the incubator itself.
After the bookmark, it is necessary to maintain an incubation table, which indicates the incubation periods, indicates the temperature, humidity and the number of flips.
Eggs collected for the incubator were not stored properly or for too long. It is recommended to lay them on the fifth day, but no later than the second week after they were demolished.
The eggs before laying were improperly prepared: they did not wash, did not reject unsuitable and “empty” eggs, and neglected other selection criteria.
The temperature and humidity conditions are not adjusted. The indicators are constantly changing.
The eggs warm up unevenly due to the lack of inversion.
The incubator is standing in a draft or other inappropriate place.

First start

The first time they turn on the incubator without eggs, for the so-called idle, and observe it for at least three days. If no defects were detected during this period, the incubator is washed, dried and eggs are laid.

How to lay eggs

The incubator is heated to the required temperature.
Each egg is treated with an antiseptic and disinfected with ultraviolet light.
The eggs are laid out on the tray.
The tray is loaded into the incubator.
Doors close tightly.

Conclusion

At the end of the article, you can finally give an answer to the question of what an incubator is. This is a necessary assistant for every breeder. Observing the simple rules for laying eggs, you can easily update the number of birds without putting any effort into it and without spending material resources. In the age of technology, you probably should not rely only on nature, especially if there is a wonderful opportunity to help her a little.

What is an egg incubator?