Home incubation of eggs

Home incubation of eggs is becoming increasingly popular among growers. Home poultry production provides healthy organic products and brings satisfaction from the backyard farm. With a small outlay, you can grow chicks from your own eggs or from eggs from a proven source. The first step to incubation is to purchase an incubator. There are incubators on the market for hobby home incubation at affordable prices.

Choosing an incubator

On the store's website there are different types of incubators, differing in the type of equipment that facilitates the incubation process:

• containing , for 41 or 56 pieces of chicken eggs, thanks to which all eggs / or without a tray are rotated with one hand movement - then bulk eggs are laid on the grid and each egg is turned by hand / and incubators automatically rotating eggs ,
• with temperature display/ or without display,
• with humidity display / or without humidity display,
• equipped with an external tank for water replenishment /or those whose water replenishment takes place directly into the incubator tubules.

In the case of incubators without a temperature and/or humidity display, you should buy thermometer and hygrometer to check the correct incubation parameters. The offer also includes trays for incubating eggs e.g. pheasants and quails. An incubator containing a display of temperature, humidity, with a tray for semi-automatic rotation of eggs and with an external tank for pouring water - will be the most convenient incubator for home incubation, i.e. IBATOR HOME.

Egg preparation

It is best to stock up on eggs from your own production or from a reliable supplier or from registered farms or hatcheries to avoid genetic defects and disease infections. Eggs should not be washed before incubation. Recommended disinfect eggs so that they are free of viruses and bacteria so as not to transmit diseases to chicks. For this purpose, we can use Virkon S or Ecocid S with a wide range of action: bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal, spraying the solution with a manual sprayer. In order to eliminate pathogens, it is recommended to disinfect the incubator and the room in which the incubator will be located. Fresh eggs can be collected for a period of 7 days and stored at a temperature of 10-15 degrees C while maintaining a high humidity of 75-80%. In the incubator you need to put eggs not damaged, medium in size, elongated and with one yolk.

Start of incubation

A dozen or so hours before laying eggs, you need to turn on the incubator and check the correctness of its operation. Lay the eggs on the tray - with the sharp end of the egg down. Chicken eggs should be turned at least 2 times a day (e.g. in the morning to the right, in the evening to the left) for 18 days, then remove the eggs from the tray and translate to the bottom of the incubator and for the next 3 days of hatching - do not turn the eggs.

Temperature and humidity

A very important element of proper incubation is to maintain adequate humidity, temperature and ventilation. These factors have a huge impact on the quantity and quality of chicks. Incubators are equipped with 2 channels for filling with water. One channel is supplemented with slightly warm water in the first phase, while both channels are supplemented with water in the second phase, i.e. the last 3 days of hatching to increase the humidity to 55-60%. Too low or too high humidity will cause embryos to die and reduce breeding yield. In the instructions attached to the incubator there is a table on the relevant parameters Chicken eggs: temperature 37.7 - 38.1 degrees C, humidity from 1 to 18 days (I phase) 55-60% 19-21 day (II phase- hatching) 70%

Egg x-rays

After 7 days of incubation, it is recommended x-ray eggs with an ovoscope , to eliminate non-infested eggs. Eggs should be x-rayed calmly and gently so as not to break the nerve endings (do not shake the eggs). X-ray should run smoothly to avoid temperature drop (1 egg about 2 minutes). If you do not see the mesh of red veins, it means that the egg has not been fertilized and should be removed from the incubator so that the rotten egg does not emit gases that harm the remaining eggs. On the 14th day of incubation, it is recommended to repeat the x-ray of the eggs and remove the eggs in which the embryos died (sometimes due to genetic defects). Then, on the 18th day of incubation, the eggs should be x-rayed and the eggs without the embryo should be postponed. At this stage, moving chicks and nerve connections on the shell will be visible. Eggs with a dark bloody spot should be set aside

Hatching chicks

On the 18th day of incubation, it is necessary to remove the eggs from the tray for semi-automatic rotation and, after x-raying, lay the eggs in a supine position on the incubator grid. From this point on, the egg does not rotate. From 19 to 21 days there is a hatching of chicks. Effective incubation should be about 70%. After about 1 day after hatching, when the chick dries and has fluffy plumage - they can be transferred to a nursery with a radiator. In the initial days, you can give boiled, crushed egg yolks, feed for chicks from "0" to 2 months and provide constant access to water in the drinker.