Temperature and humidity for incubating chicken eggs at home

Incubation of selected chicken eggs makes it possible to obtain healthy poultry offspring and significantly reduce the cost of purchasing young animals. True, this process is quite troublesome and requires a lot of dedication and serious attitude. But with the right approach and organization of the process, the result is completely justified.

Features of breeding offspring

Ideally, the hatching of offspring should be carried out directly by the brood hen. However, one bird can reproduce up to 15 chicks. This amount is not enough even for a personal farm, so you have to resort to using incubators. In standard machines for household use, the temperature is distributed unevenly, so it is recommended to stir the eggs daily. Humidity is regulated by placing water containers inside.

In the process of hatching chicks, it is necessary not only to maintain humidity at the desired level, but also to control the temperature, provide air flow, and sometimes even cool the eggs.

Selection and preparation of eggs for incubation

Particular attention is paid to the selection and preparation of eggs intended for incubation. The success of the whole business, as well as the health and normal development of the future brood, depends on their quality and suitability.

Ovoscopy

A device such as an ovoscope provides the opportunity to:

• promptly detect defects in the shell (microcracks, depressions, growths);
• assess the dimensions of the air chamber, which should not exceed 4 mm;
• assess the position of the yolk and find out if it moves during sharp turns;
• consider the so-called marbled shell, which indicates calcium deficiency;
• see the presence of dark spots indicating the presence of mold;
• examine foreign objects or blood clots;
• see the number of yolks and, if necessary, discard, since double-yolk eggs are not suitable for incubation.

Egg storage

Before placing it in the incubator, it is necessary to warm up the selected material in a warm room.The eggs must reach a temperature of +25 °C.

Egg disinfection

Some farmers are of the opinion that eggs should not be washed before placing them in the incubator. However, experienced people still insist that cleaning from dirt and treating bacteria are mandatory procedures. To do this, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate or 1.5% hydrogen peroxide. The shell is wiped with a soft cloth, previously soaked in a disinfectant liquid, which should have a temperature of about +30 ° C.

Selecting and preparing an incubator

Incubators differ not only in power, but also in the type of egg laying. It can be produced both vertically and horizontally. When laying horizontally, eggs need to be turned 180°, and when laying vertically, they need to be tilted in different directions by 45°.

Experts recommend units with a horizontal laying method, since this is the natural method when brooding chickens. To get closer to the heat source, the embryo needs to rise as high as possible.

How to bookmark

In order to correctly lay eggs, it is necessary to determine the type of egg in the incubator, having previously studied the necessary documentation and inspected it externally. Typically, home devices have a horizontal tab, and industrial ones have a vertical tab with automatic reversal. In the second case, the eggs must be laid with the blunt end up.

Experts recommend selecting eggs of the same size in one set, since each additional gram of weight extends the hatching time by almost an hour. If this is not possible, then the largest eggs are placed in the incubator first, after 3 hours - the medium ones, and after another 7 hours - the remaining small ones.

Experienced farmers advise laying the eggs around 18:00 in the evening. In this case, the chicks will begin to hatch in the morning, after 21 days. By evening, almost all of them will have hatched.

How to maintain the necessary conditions in the device?

The incubator must maintain a certain microclimate. Due to fluctuations in humidity and temperature, chicks may die. The optimal temperature for keeping chicken eggs is 37-40 °C. The embryo can develop at temperatures ranging from 27 to 43 °C, however, when this indicator decreases, the hatching period is delayed and the risk of embryo death or deviations in its development increases.

The air humidity in the incubator is initially maintained at 50%, and a few days before the chicks hatch, it is raised to 65-70%. Humidity limits are 45-82%, but experts do not recommend approaching them.

The influence of conditions on the development of chickens

Hypothermia or overheating of the testicles causes the development of diseases in chicks. If the heating source in the incubator is located at the top, then the temperature is maintained at 40 °C in the upper part of the apparatus. In the case where the sources are located on all sides, the temperature readings should not exceed +38.5 °C. These rules make it possible to obtain healthy offspring without developmental deviations and within a strictly defined time frame. If the brood does not appear within 24-25 days, then there is no point in waiting for it.

Incubation stages and temperature conditions

It is noteworthy that for each breed of chicken, not only individual temperature conditions are established, but also other indicators at various stages of incubation.

Egg and meat-egg breeds and crosses

Temperature and humidity in the incubator are perhaps the most important parameters responsible for the full development and health of future chicks. If they are too high, the chicks will hatch underdeveloped and weak, and if they are too low, they will be unviable and frail.

First period

The first incubation period lasts the first 18 days after laying. The temperature is currently kept at 37.5 ° C, and humidity is 50%. The testicles do not require additional cooling, but they must be turned every hour. A week later they are checked using an ovoscope. Those that lack a visible network of blood vessels must be removed. Below is a table with the main parameters for keeping eggs of these breeds in the incubator.

Second period

The final stage that precedes the birth of chicks. It lasts from 19 to 21 days of bookmarking. The temperature in the incubator is maintained at +37 °C, and the humidity rises to 75%. There is no need to turn the testicles over. We must try to open the incubator as little as possible.

Broilers

Broilers have a special chick hatching schedule, which consists of 4 periods. It is difficult to follow all the recommendations at home, but with some effort it is possible to get a healthy, full-fledged brood. From the second week, it is necessary to cool the eggs for 5 minutes in the morning and evening.

First period

For boilers, this period takes only the first 2 days. The temperature is kept at 38 °C and humidity at 50%. Every 1-1.5 hours it is necessary to turn the eggs. If the incubator is not equipped with an automatic turning system, then the procedure will have to be done manually 4-6 times a day. To avoid mistakes with which side the eggs were turned, they must be marked by drawing some kind of sign on the shell. The scheme of such a procedure is very simple and does not present much complexity, but it requires diligence and patience.

Second period

Incubation of the second period in broilers lasts from 3 to 12 days. Temperatures are reduced to 37.7 °C, and the frequency of revolutions and humidity levels are left at the same level.

Third period

This period lasts from 13 to 18 days. The temperature is lowered a little more, bringing it to 37.5 ° C, but the humidity and frequency of turning over do not change. From the 14th day, they begin to cool the eggs little by little (5 minutes in the morning and evening). During this period, embryos require a lot of air, so the incubator must be ventilated periodically. Until the time of pricking, the cooling time is slightly increased (by a few minutes).

The fourth period

This stage precedes the birth of chicks. It lasts from 19 to 21 days. The temperature must be lowered to 37 °C and the humidity increased to 70%. Eggs no longer require turning. On days 20-21, temperatures are reduced even further (to 36.8 °C), and humidity is increased to 80%.

Inspection of chicks

After the chicks hatch in the incubator, they must be examined. Egg breeds are examined within 6 hours after birth, and meat breeds - 10 hours. Healthy and normally developed chickens should have the following characteristics:

• closed umbilical cord without bleeding;
• thick bright yellow fluff;
• eyes shine;
• the wings are symmetrically adjacent to the body.

After a few days (the chicks hatch with little activity), the chicks become active, emit a calm squeak, and react to a variety of sounds.

Caring for chicks after incubation

After the chicks are hatched, they are left in the incubator until the fluff dries completely, after which they are moved to a specially prepared brooder. If you don’t have one, and the livestock is small, then a regular cardboard box will do. For heating, it is recommended to hang a red lamp and install a drinking bowl with clean water. The area where the chickens are kept is kept clean and dry. The bottom is covered with a cloth that can be easily changed and washed.

The first feeding is done on the same day the chicks hatch. They are fed exclusively soft food, such as a hard-boiled egg. Subsequently, they switch to coarser feed (millet, special mixtures, mixed feed). Chicks should have constant access to fresh, clean water. For this purpose, special drinking bowls are installed for them.

As soon as the chicks get stronger, they are moved to the chicken coop. The room is prepared in advance by sterilization and disinfection. The presence of viruses and infections should be completely excluded, as well as the brood should be protected from rats and cats. The area of ​​the chicken coop is selected in such a way that no more than 12 chicks can be accommodated per square meter. It is preferable to cover the floor with hay.

A week after hatching, the chickens are gradually accustomed to walking in the fresh air. On the first day, they are walked for no longer than 1-1.5 hours, and then the time is gradually increased. Soon they will be able to spend the whole daylight hours outside, in a fenced-in enclosure. This procedure is useful for chickens, since the sun's rays promote the production of vitamin D, and this is an excellent prevention of rickets.

Mistakes of novice poultry farmers

When trying to hatch chicks in an incubator, novice poultry farmers often make mistakes that increase the amount of incubation waste. The most common of them are:

1. Using too small or too large eggs for laying.
2. Placement of stale material or one that was stored in improper conditions (in a refrigerator or in rooms with an air temperature above +20 ° C).
3. Use for laying eggs with shells contaminated with droppings.
4. Using eggs with obvious defects and flaws.
5. Incorrect incubator settings, non-compliance with incubation regimes.

Before hatching chickens and laying eggs, it is necessary to study special literature and obtain a sufficient level of theoretical training and knowledge. It will take patience and endurance to constantly monitor humidity and temperature in the incubator, as well as timely culling.