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9. At the same time it is important to fill both water channels to increase the
humidity. (this is very important to ensure that the eggshells are soft enough for
the chicks to break through.)
10. You should never open the lid when the chicks start to hatch. If you do, the loss of
humidity will cause the eggshells of the unhatched eggs to dry out and they won't
able to break through the egg.
Egg and incubator hygiene
Proper hygiene is essential to achieve good hatching results. Poor hygiene causes chicks to die
in their first 10 days of life.
Only clean eggs should be used for incubation. Dirty eggs are potential carriers of diseases
that thrive and multiply in the ideal heat and moisture conditions of the incubator. If you need
to incubate dirty eggs, wash them first in warm water (44-49
rate recommended by the manufacturer (most household disinfectants are suitable), and dry
the eggs quickly after washing using separate paper towels.
Do not soak eggs for longer than four minutes to avoid affecting fertility and do not soak eggs
in cold water, as it encourages bacterial penetration through the eggshell.
Fumigating eggs immediately after collection also helps with hygiene. A suitable fumigant is
formaldehyde gas, which is made by mixing 1 part (by weight) of potassium permanganate
(Condy´s crystals) with 1.5 parts (by volume) of formalin (see Table 1 for the correct amounts
for each application). Place the chemicals in a dish on the floor of the incubator. Place the
Condy´s crystals into the dish first and then pour the formalin over it. Shut the incubator door
quickly and vacate the room.
For proper fumigation, run the machine normally with the correct temperature and humidity.
After 20 minutes, open the vents or the door and air the machine for a few minutes. Again,
vacate the room.
Healthy stock
It is important that eggs from only a healthy flock are used for hatching, as some diseases can
be transmitted through the egg. The egg-transmittable diseases to be most aware of are salmo-
nella infections, fowl typhoid and Mycoplasma gallisepticum.
Eggs laid by birds infected with disease may fail to hatch. Of those that do hatch, some birds
may die during brooding, and the survivors may act as carriers and infect healthy chicks.
Do not add eggs from unknown sources to make up numbers, as you risk infecting your flock.
Breeding stock nutrition
The egg provides a complete food store for proper embryo development except gaseous oxy-
gen, which enters the egg through pores in the shell. Breeding stock must be fed a well-
balanced diet to fully meet the embryos' nutrient requirements.
The deficient nutrients are usually vitamins or minerals. A deficiency of these in the breeders'
diet may not show any ill effects in the breeders, though hatchability may be affected, which
is why different categories are fed specific diets. Nutritional deficiencies, such as a lack of
riboflavin, are the main causes of embryo mortality during the middle stage of incubation (i.e.
between the 12th and 14th days).
Hens' vitamin and mineral requirements for laying eggs are lower than those of breeders. The
breeder's diet should begin six to eight weeks before hatching eggs are required, with particu-
© by WilTec Wildanger Technik GmbH
http://www.wiltec.info
Incubating tips
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C) that contains disinfectant at a
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