The hatchery is a place where chicken eggs are hatched under artificial conditions. This is a multi-billion dollar industry, with high production systems used to maximize the size of birds or eggs.
Large numbers are usually produced at the same time, so that the resulting birds are the same size and can be kept for meat or put into egg production at the same time. Chickens lay eggs from the breeding sections, which are collected three to four times a day to avoid pre-incubation. Eggs are stored in the cold room, waiting for the day of laying at certain temperatures 18 degrees Celsius, if stored for less than 7 days and above 7 days,it drop to 16 degrees Celsius.
Incubation egg shells are checked for consistency before being placed on machines according to age, storage days and must be clean and in good shape. Incubators control temperatures, humidity, turning and there is control of the air intake in the machines, all incubation rooms are subject to temperature control and should be 25 degrees Celsius. The machines are checked every hour and the information recorded; machine calibrations performed the day after the eggs are loaded.
The entire incubation process takes 21 days and, on the 18th or 19th, the lighting of the hatching eggs occurs from the incubators to the hatchers, clean eggs without embryos are removed to create space for hatching and to improve the quality of the chick. rotation and temperature and humidity are ideal for hatching, so that the embryo is well oriented towards the exit of the shell.The vaccination takes place the day before in the hatchery: spray vaccination and subcutaneous vaccination. Finally, the chicks are packed in controlled environment before being delivered to customers.
Incubators are created as an economic driver to improve food supplies for nations and egg production. It also plays an important role in the production of chicks and eggs for small farmers. Technical advice is passed to the community on how to pass on information to hatcheries in relation to the performance and quality of chicks.