Incubation is a term denoting the removal of chicks without the direct participation of a brood . Incubation of eggs is widely used not only in large poultry farms, but also in small households. Modern incubators significantly facilitate the work of poultry farmers, guaranteeing the receipt of young birds at any time of the year.
Incubation
Chickens learned to artificially grow almost 2.5 thousand years ago. The first "adoptive parents" are considered by the Egyptians and Chinese. The subtleties of artificial hatching of chicks were kept in the strictest confidence and were inherited. As an incubator, a barrel filled with manure or a conventional oven for baking bread was used. Only at the end of the 19th century, inventors were able to offer a design that resembles modern devices. Since that time, mechanical hens have become widespread.
Incubation of eggs is a complex process. Of paramount importance for obtaining healthy and strong chicks is the strict observance of the appropriate humidity and temperature. Any deviation leads to the loss of young animals. Initially, incubation was mainly used for rapid reproduction of the herd. Studies have shown that this is a serious factor determining a significant increase in bird productivity and, as a result, an increase in poultry production.
In poultry farms apply year-round incubation. This approach allows you to evenly distribute the reproduction and raising of chickens throughout the year. It is impossible to imagine modern poultry farming without artificial hatching of eggs. This technology is used for growing chickens, guinea fowls, geese, ducks, quails, turkeys, ostriches. In principle, this method is applicable for any type of bird, for this you need not so much:
- high quality raw material;
- strict adherence to the process;
- reliable incubator.
Incubation stages
Bookmarking is done at any time of the day, but experienced farmers recommend choosing evening time. The size of the egg (too large or, conversely, small) is not a reason for its rejection. The largest specimens are laid first, after 6 hours - medium, after another 6 hours - small. This will help balance the time of chick biting.
Chicken egg incubation regimes must be observed at all stages of the process. There are four of them:
- The first is from the 1st to the 7th day.
- The second - from the 7th to the 11th day.
- The third - from the 11th day to the first squeak (until the 18th day).
- The fourth - from the first squeak to the bite.
They differ not only in duration, but also in the manipulations that must be carried out with the eggs. The table shows the incubation conditions of chicken eggs at each stage:
A 90 ° hourly rotation helps to prevent the embryo from sticking to the shell.
Egg selection
Careful selection of eggs for incubation is one of the main conditions for successful hatching. Primary requirements:
- "Age" no more than 7 days;
- the correct form;
- without shell defects;
- light and dark stains (marbling) on the surface of the shell are unacceptable;
- the presence of only one yolk;
- without any damage;
- without extraneous inclusions;
- clean shell;
- the location of the air chamber at the blunt end of the egg;
- the age of the layers is 8–9 months.
“Parents” must be physically healthy. Fertility of eggs laid for incubation directly depends on the rooster. It is advisable not to use testicles laid on the floor. After visual inspection, ovoscopy is performed. On industrial poultry farms, this procedure is mandatory. Eggs suitable for incubation contain one yolk located in the center and an air chamber near the blunt end. Using the device reveals invisible defects:
- growths;
- troughs;
- pimples;
- microcracks;
- too large an air chamber indicates a large age of the testicle (during incubation, the chicks will lag behind in development);
- displacement of the yolk during a sharp turn of the egg indicates a rupture of the chalase (the cord holding the yolk in the center of the protein).
The above defects are the basis for rejection of eggs.
Material preparation
It all starts long before the incubation process, the conditions of keeping the parent herd are important. Future offspring are affected by: breed of chickens, their age (from a herd older than 45 weeks, eggs cannot be stored for more than 5 days), health, quality of diet, and location of nests. The eggs must be properly sorted, washed, disinfected, folded into storage under appropriate conditions.
Collect them every 4-6 hours, in hot or very cold weather even more often. The best container for storage are cardboard clean boxes with new gaskets. It is not advisable to use a basket or bucket for this purpose. Eggs are laid with the sharp end down.
At the end of the day, the collected material must be disinfected. A special camera (room) is used, equipped with a fan, a timer, temperature and humidity control devices. This helps to prevent the penetration of many bacteria, viruses, fungi through the pores. After the procedure, they are allowed to cool for one to two hours.
Freshly laid testicles are stored for up to 7 days. It is better to withstand them for at least two days, during which time the air chamber will have time to form well. If you start the incubation of very fresh eggs (up to 48 hours after laying), the embryos may die. In the storage room, the temperature regime is strictly observed:
- the first 5 days - 18-20 o C;
- on the 5-7th day - 17-18 ° C;
- over 7 days - 15 about C.
Humidity is maintained at 80%. Overexposed eggs, over 7 days, cannot guarantee the receipt of high-quality offspring. When transporting or moving them, care must be taken not to damage the shell. After moving, they are allowed to “rest” for 18 hours, the incubator itself is heated for 6-12 hours in a mode of +25 ° C. A sharp temperature difference must not be allowed to avoid the formation of condensate on the shell. The incubation time for eggs is 21 days.
Embryo development
Every day, the embryo goes through a certain stage of development:
- 1st day - by the end of the first 24 hours, a temporary spine of the embryo - chord is formed. It has the beginnings of a central nervous system.
- 2nd day - the rudiments of the organs of hearing and vision, blood vessels, vitelline arteries, and parts of the intestine appear. Surprisingly, on the second day, the most important organ, the heart, is laid and begins to contract.
- 3rd day - the beginnings of wings, legs, endocrine glands, and liver appear. Formed a complete blood circulation and "discoloration" of the eyes.
- 4th day - the embryo grows up to 0.8 cm. The process of separating the embryo from the yolk ends, the embryo rotates on the left side, and the formation of the intestinal tube begins.
- 5th day - the inclinations of the skeleton appear, the goiter and stomach are laid. Allantois (the germinal membrane, takes part in the respiration of the embryo and serves as a collection site for secretions) reaches the air chamber, the embryo is already more than 1 cm tall.
- 6th day - the size of the embryo increases to 1.5 cm. Separation of the fingers on the wings and legs occurs.
- 7th day - on this day there is a differentiation of gender.
- 8th day - the kidneys begin their work. The first rudiments of feathers appear.
- 9th day - feather nipples are formed on the back.
- 10th day - keratinization of the beak begins.
- 11th day - the length of the embryo reaches 3.5 cm. Claws appear. Allantois completely covers the contents of the egg.
- 12th day - the cornea begins to cover itself for centuries. An open oval hole is formed.
- 13th day - fluff appears on the head and the whole body. Actualization of the claws begins.
- 14th day - the embryo is completely covered in fluff.
- 15th day - keratinization of claws ends. The eyelid completely covers the eye.
- 16th-18th days - the fetus fully utilizes protein.
- 19th day - eyes open. The retraction of the yolk begins, allantois atrophies.
- 20th day - the yolk is completely retracted, the umbilical ring closes. The chicken begins pulmonary respiration and the first attempts to bite the shell.
- 21st day - the conclusion of the chicken. The kid rests his neck and head against the blunt end of the egg, and his feet into the sharp, breaking the shell in two.
In an unfertilized egg, cell division does not occur. The germinal disc appears to be a flat white spot.
Humidity
Humidity during the incubation of eggs plays a huge role. At each stage of development, its own moisture indicators:
- 1-6th days - 60%, this contributes to the active growth of the embryo;
- 6-16th - 50-55%, helps to accumulate dry matter;
- from the 16th to the bite - 65-70%, the deficiency leads to a quick drying of the fluff, and this slows down the movement of the chicken inside the shell during the bite.
Too dry air will lead to weight loss of chicks, this is due to an increase in the volume of the air chamber. This also provokes a premature bite. The conclusion is difficult, the chickens are very small, weak, but nimble.
With high humidity, on the contrary, the hatching of the babies is delayed, takes a long time and is not friendly. After biting, the sticky fluid leaking from the egg dries quickly and thickens. This leads to adhesion of different parts of the baby’s body to the shell or shell of the shell, which is fraught with death. At home, you can adjust the humidity with an additional water tank installed under the trays.
During incubation of chicken eggs, there is a large absorption of oxygen, a decent amount of carbon dioxide is released into the air. Lack of oxygen can lead to death of the embryos or deformities. Periodic ventilation solves this problem.
Temperature mode
The optimal temperature for incubation of eggs by day:
- 1-2 day - 38.0 about C;
- 3-10th day - 37.8 about C;
- 11-16th day - 37.5 ° C;
- 17-19th day - 37.2 ° C;
- Day 20-21 - 36.9-37 o C.
Too high temperature accelerates the development of embryos, chickens are born prematurely, they are weakened, small, very mobile. The lack of heat leads to a delay in the development and death of the embryos. It is very difficult to maintain the temperature if the embryos of different ages are simultaneously in the incubator. It is recommended to load the apparatus with eggs of the same age, it is easier to control the incubation process.
The control
To minimize possible incubation problems, several types of biological control are used:
- Evaluation of eggs before incubation. Visual inspection, check on the ovoscope. If necessary, up to 5% of eggs can be opened to determine fertility, the amount of carotenoids in the yolk, and protein layering.
- Control during incubation. Accounting for moisture loss is a simple but very effective way to control the mode of incubation of chicken eggs. The loaded tray is weighed before laying, then on the 7th, 12th and 19th day of incubation. It is normal if in 19 days the eggs lose 12-13% of their original weight. Translucence is the main method for monitoring the development of embryos.
- Control after incubation. The timing of hatching and hatching determines the quality of incubation. The high safety of young animals in the first two weeks of life (a waste of no more than 2%) is an excellent result of the work of the incubator.
Incubators
When purchasing a household incubator for a household, pay attention to the following characteristics:
- Presence of egg flipping function:
- manual (provided in the simplest models) - each testicle is turned over separately;
- mechanical - changing the position of the pan allows you to simultaneously flip all eggs;
- automatic - the rotary device is powered by an electric motor, without human intervention.
- Capacity. Standard models are usually designed for 30-100 pieces. It is desirable to have special lodgements, with their help you can adjust the width of the row (according to the size of the material).
- Ventilation system. Small models have openings for carbon dioxide exhaust and fresh air. On incubators with large capacity, fans are installed.
- Thermoregulation. The incubation temperature of chicken eggs must be strictly maintained. For heating use lamps or heat cords. More modern models are equipped with electronic sensors and temperature regulators, they allow you to control the temperature within 0.1 o C.
- Care. After each incubation, the apparatus requires washing and disinfection. The use of removable hygiene pallets markedly facilitates these procedures.
In a household with two dozen chickens, no incubator is needed. With the task of hatching chickens, 3-4 hens will perfectly manage. Farms with a stock of 100 chickens or more need equipment for a successful and profitable business.
Young growth
Incubation of eggs ends with hatching of chickens. Egg breeds are examined after 6 hours, and meat breeds 10 after birth. The evaluation of young animals suitable for further cultivation is carried out according to the following criteria:
- closure of the umbilical cord without blood traces;
- strong short beak;
- large head;
- soft and fit stomach;
- brilliant eyes;
- bright yellow fluff, soft to the touch;
- wings tightly pressed to the body;
- mobility and response of chickens to sound stimuli.
Industrial incubation
A huge role in the uninterrupted year-round supply of poultry products is played by the incubation of eggs. In an industrial incubator, several thousand pieces are simultaneously placed. This allows you to get healthy young animals with minimal labor.
At specialized industrial enterprises, the technology of incubation is clearly worked out, it is divided into several cycles:
- collection and subsequent transportation of eggs;
- selection, calibration by weight of material suitable for incubation;
- disinfection;
- storage;
- loading eggs into incubators;
- incubation;
- moving eggs to hatchery incubators and hatching;
- young stock assessment, sorting by sex, processing;
- the movement of daily chickens in the breeding workshop.
Enterprise hatcheries are equipped with the appropriate types of incubators. Capacity is calculated on the basis of the requirements for daily chickens of the poultry farm itself, the population of this zone and nearby farms.
Some tips
Proper incubation of eggs at home depends on several factors:
- the acquired incubator must be tested before starting work, this will help to identify defects and malfunctions;
- Before laying eggs, it is necessary to warm up, avoiding condensation on the shell;
- laying is best done in the afternoon, then the hatching of the chickens will completely end on the 22nd day;
- for a friendly bite, they select material of the same size;
- two day eggs are best used;
- they cannot be washed before laying.
Common mistakes
The most common chicken egg incubation errors:
- simultaneous laying of large and small testicles;
- inattentive study of the instructions for a household incubator, as a result, incorrect adjustment of vital indicators: humidity and temperature;
- the use of stale eggs;
- the use of dirty eggs;
- the use of eggs with shell defects;
- improper storage;
- the naive assumption that if you don’t turn the eggs over, then “it will somehow manage”;
- non-observance of temperature, humidity, ventilation.
You can evaluate your work by the end result - the number of hatched healthy chickens.