Most of the people living in rural areas tend to breed chickens. Of course, it's good when there are enough hens on the farm, but if only one bird sits on the nest? In this case, home incubators are very helpful. But how do you select the right eggs and hatch the chicks?
The most favorable time for hatching young birds is April - May. In chicks hatched at a later date, puberty takes place in the fall (in conditions of gradually decreasing daylight hours). First of all, this affects development: before the onset of frost, the young do not have time to get stronger, molt is delayed (which will further affect productivity and vitality).
In order to achieve good hatchability and obtain a viable young, you need to take care of the quality of the eggs for incubation. First of all, take them out of the nest regularly, otherwise the chicken will cause dirt and spoil the eggshell with its paws.
The laid egg has the body temperature of the bird. Its content, cooling down, decreases in volume. The resulting free space inside the egg is filled with air through the pores at the blunt end. If there is a dirty, dusty litter in the nest, then microbes and mold spores enter the egg along with the air, which contribute to spoilage and death of embryos.
In the case when they seek to grow a large number of young animals for meat, eggs of any mass can be used, except for obvious marriage. Round, long or flattened on the sides are not suitable for setting in an incubator. It is better to take eggs only with strong, clean and smooth shells. Sometimes dark spots are visible on its surface, meaning that these are stale eggs. They are unsuitable for incubation: soon after setting, mold appears and grows rapidly in them.
It is better to place the incubator in a room where the temperature is constantly maintained within 15-22 degrees Celsius. The spent incubation material is placed in a tray. By this time, the apparatus must have created all the necessary conditions: temperature, humidity, ventilation.
The entire incubation period can be conditionally divided into three stages, which differ from each other in various indicators.
In the initial period of incubation, eggs require more heat, poor ventilation. They should warm up.
The middle period is distinguished by a slightly lower temperature than in the initial period, but stronger ventilation.
During hatching, the temperature is reduced even more, and the humidity and ventilation should be increased. Before hauling the chicks, the moisture is significantly reduced so that the chickens dry out.
For chicken eggs, the initial period lasts from the first to the eleventh day, the middle period is set before hatching begins, and the hatching period is from the time you hear the chicks squeak.
Do not forget to turn the hatching eggs in the trays (especially in the early days), otherwise the embryos can stick to the shell and die. Cooling is also required. Thanks to all this, the incubation conditions are close to the natural ones created by brooders.
Chilling hatching chicken eggs should be started from the middle period. This operation can be combined with egg flipping.
How long does it take to cool? Bring the egg to the eyelid, and if you don't feel either warmth or cold, that's enough.
Underheating also has a detrimental effect on the viability of the chicks. It delays the development of embryos, lags behind, the hatch is stretched. Young growth emerges from eggs with a large belly, inactive.
Incubation is troublesome, rather complicated. It is difficult to immediately become a specialist in it. It all depends on your skills, attentiveness. Observe (and write everything down), this will help you make the necessary changes in the future.
