Hatching Eggs
Hatching Eggs
Introduction
• Hatching eggs is a vital step in the poultry industry. The
process of hatching eggs is known as incubation. Egg-
laying birds incubate their eggs by sitting on them till they
are ready for hatching.
Hatcheries For Hatching Eggs
Hatcheries are available for
the commercial production
of eggs. A hatchery is a unit
with artificially controlled
conditions for hatching
eggs.
Hatching Eggs – How Is It Done?
Hatching Eggs – How Is It Done?
• The process of Selecting the eggs
hatching eggs can be
Maintaining the eggs
divided into three
main steps. They are Hatching eggs
as follows:
Selecting The Eggs
Selecting The Eggs
• After the birds lay eggs, checking the eggshells for crack
before putting them into the incubators is needed to
determine their soundness.
Maintaining The Eggs
Maintaining The Eggs
• Incubators control temperature and humidity. The eggs
undergo turning in the incubators until just before they
hatch. They are then moved into a hatcher unit three days
before they are supposed to hatch.
Hatching Eggs
Hatching Eggs
• Once in the hatchery unit, the eggs are no longer turned
so that the embryos get time to orient themselves
properly for exiting from the shell. The eggs hatch during
a period ranging from 24 to 48 hours.
Criteria For Selecting Eggs For
Hatching
• Eggs suitable for Fertility
hatching require careful
Egg size and shape
selection. The following
parameters help to Eggshell
determine the eggs Egg quality
likely to hatch well.
Fertility
Eggs collected from well-matured hens after 5- 7 days
of mating are suitable for hatching. It is best to collect
eggs within two days of separating the cock to be fertile.
Collecting the eggs immediately after letting the cock in
for mating may not give eggs fertile enough for hatching
Egg Size And Shape
Egg Size And Shape
Egg Size And Shape
• The size of the eggs is a significant factor for hatching.
The size of the chick hatched depends highly on the size
of the egg. The eggs should be neither too big nor too
small.
Eggshell
The eggshell should be of
uniform thickness. The
texture and color of the
shells must be consistent
so that there is a steady
spread of warmth during
incubation.
Egg Quality
Eggs should not be
stale. They should be
fresh and collected as
early as possible after
laying.
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