Chick Hatching; First Days Of Life; Benefits Of The Infra-Red Lamp; Nutrition - Borotto REAL Series Instruction Manual

11 - Chick hatching

The operation described below is very critical and must be done quickly, it is recommended to be assisted by
another person to speed up the operation so the eggs do not get excessively cold.
For the semi automatic incubator:
A. In the last 3 days before the expected hatching, extract the metal lever located at the front of the incubator.
B. Follow the table below from letter B onwards.
For the automatic incubator (with egg turning motor)
A. In the last 3 days before the expected hatching stop the egg turning motor by unplugging it from the power
socket, possibly when the eggs are still in vertical position.
B. Remove the eggs from the cells and gently place them on a blanket.
C. Remove the egg cells.
D. Pour 2 or 3 glasses of water at the bottom of the incubator.
E. Place the plastic grate in the base of the incubator paying attention to ensure the two tabs of the grate cover
the 2 communicating water ducts to prevent the chicks from falling in and drowning.
F. Distribute the eggs on top and close the cover plate again.
G. Fill the second tray with water.
H. If poultry eggs have been incubated, set the temperature at 37.2°C. Or 36.5°C if exotic eggs have been
incubated.
VERY IMPORTANT
Opening the incubator continuously out of curiosity in the last 3 days to see the chicks hatch will result in the chick
inside the egg dying!
Lifting the cover uselessly disperses the accumulated CO2 and humidity and would thus require more time to bring
it back to the required values. At most, open the machine once daily to remove the chicks already hatched, and
once they are completely dry, close it immediately. The newly hatched chicks must be kept inside the incubator for
approximately 12 hours. They can stay inside up to 3 days without drinking or eating and not suffering.

12 - First days of life

Place the chicks in an environment that assures the necessary heat and light, with no air drafts, where they can be
fed and watered.
SUGGESTIONS: you can use a 50x50 cm cardboard box. Cover the bottom with newspaper, which must be changed
every day. Otherwise you may use the complete weaning pen or artificial hen available on the website
www.borotto.com
For heating, hank a reflector with infra-red lamp at about 20-25 cm from the ground. Adjust the temperature by
changing the height of the reflector. The box must be large enough to contain a water pan and one for the feed.
B
12.1 - enefits of the infra-red lamp
Infra-red lamps not only serve to warm the chick, but act in depth, on the tissues and muscles, fixing calcium in the
bones and supporting the expansion of the blood and lymph vessels, thus improving blood circulation and,
consequently, the nutrition of cells. This promotes healthy growth of the chick which will also be more resistant to
disease. The reflectors (used to convey heat) and infra-red lamps are available on the website:
N
12.2 - utrition
Chicks usually start eating and drinking from the second/third day of life. Place in the box/pen: a drinker and a
feeder with chick feed. We suggest scattering some feed also on the newspaper. Feeder and drinker are available on
the website www.borotto.com
If other drinker are used, ensure the pan is not higher than 3-4 cm otherwise the chicks will risk getting wet or
drowning. To prevent that, place pebbles on the bottom, which will also attract the chick to the drinking water.
: During hatching (in the last 3 days) NEVER open the incubator!
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Rev 09
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