We rely too much on new technology

The Eye

The Ear
The Brain
The Nose
 “You sent us poor genetics”

Breeder Farms
“You sent us poor “You don’t know how
quality eggs to incubate eggs”

Hatchery
“You sent us poor
“You don’t know how
quality chicks”
to look after chicks”

Broiler Farms
May be departmentsHigh
within
chick
the mortality
same or different companies
Budgets
Uneven / Targets
size
Poor communication
Poor weight gain
between
in firstdepartments
week
Useful Equipment
for Analyzing
Hatchery
Problems
 Maintenance
Fire Fighting Preventative Maintenance
We Need the
Right Tools to
do the Job
 Angle Locator

The angle locator provides a way of checking the

turning angles of the eggs in incubation.
These eggs are turning only 31 degrees.
Adjustments need to be made to provide
uniform airflow.
The eggs should turn a minimum of 42 degrees. The
angle locator shows an angle of only 35 degrees.
The Procedure for Measuring Eggshell
Temperature
• The only equipment
required for measuring
eggshell temperature is
a medical infrared ear
thermometer.
• It is recommended to
use a Braun
ThermoScan 4520.
 Use of rectal temperatures

1” (2.5cm) insertion
10 second technology

Themo-neutral zone for chicks

= Rectal temperature of 104 – 105°F or 40 – 40.5°C

From Donna Hill (HatchTech)

 Vane Anemometer (Airflow Meter)

This meter can be used to check for drafts on the eggs

or chicks. It can also be used to measure the airflow
from the fans in the incubation equipment.
This fan blade is positioned too high and
is only moving air at the rate of 2143 fpm.
This is a reduction of 193 fpm of air from
the slide shown earlier, which is equal to
52.6 miles less air each day.
 Sling Psychrometer

Handy for checking wet and dry bulb temperatures

to determine relative humidity levels in each
hatchery area.
A sling psychrometer can be used to check the
room dry and wet bulb temperatures. The slide
scale allows conversion to relative humidity.
Stroboscope/Tachometer (Strobe Light)

This device is useful for checking fan motor rpm’s

and for detecting bent or damaged fan blades.
A strobe light can be used to check the fan
motor rpm’s and is also useful for locating
bent or damaged fan blades.
 Digital Thermometer

Ideal for calibrating controls of incubation

equipment. Also used to check infertile egg
temperatures. The flashlight is used to find infertile
eggs.
When eggs are prewarmed for three hours, the
egg temperatures vary greatly throughout the
racks resulting in hatches that are not uniform.
 Meat Probe Thermometer

This pointed thermometer can be used to

check egg temperatures at the farms and upon
arrival at the hatchery.
 Water Pressure Gauges

The gauges are adapted to fit any type humidity nozzle.

The water pressure should be checked at the humidity
nozzles.
 Smoke Generators and Smoke Tubes

Smoke generators are ideal for checking empty

incubators and hatchers for leaks and proper exhaust.
The smoke tubes are handy for detecting air leaks
around the doors of the rooms and incubation
equipment.
 Sound Meter

The sound meter measures the dB level of noise in any area.

 Ammeter

This device can check voltage and amperage loads. It is

handy in a hatchery for checking the amp loads on the
incubator and hatcher heaters.
 Walkie-Talkies

These units can be very useful when one person is

working on the roof-top ventilation equipment and
another is operating the controls in the rooms.
 Long-term CO2 diffusion tubes

Gastec Carbon Dioxide Passive Dosi-Tube No. 2D

Low Tech
Gives the average CO2 level
over a period of up to 10
hours
 Static Air Pressure Gauge

A portable “Magnehelic” gauge is handy for checking the

air pressure in rooms, ducts and plenums. A gauge with a
zero center is needed to observe both positive and
negative conditions.
The static air pressure in the incubator exhaust duct
inlets should be controlled at 0.01 negative.
If the exhaust plenums are power exhausted, the static
air pressure should be controlled between a balanced
and 0.0025 negative level.
Positive air pressure forces air to other hatchery
areas and also influences the exhaust systems on
the incubation equipment.
Ideal Room Pressure
The adjustable motor pulleys on the air moving
equipment can be set to help control the static
air pressure in each room.
The incubator door gaskets must be kept in
good repair to prevent air leakage.
 Hatchery Targets
• Hatch of all eggs set
• Hatch of fertile eggs
 Hatch of all Hatch of
eggs set Fertility fertile eggs
(%) (%) (%)

Hatchery 1 81.1 91.6 88.5

Hatchery 2 84.0 94.9 88.5

Hatchery 2 is Farm supplying Hatcheries are

doing better than Hatchery 2 is performing the
Hatchery 1 ? better same
= 15% egg
weight loss
during total
incubation

= 12% weight loss to

pipping
+ 3% during hatching
process

Rahn, Ar and Paganelli, 1979

From the smallest to the largest
No matter which bird . . .
. . . or where or how it builds its nest
Every bird follows the same rules . .

12% weight loss

to pipping of
the eggshell
100% 88%

12%
At transfer time, about one-third of each egg should be
consumed by the air cell if the desired moisture loss is taking
place. The air cell in the egg on the right only consumes
about one-fifth of the egg. With today's birds, we need to
lose about 14% of the weight of the eggs from set time to
transfer.
Correct weight loss gives correct size
of air space from which the embryo
can ventilate it’s air sacs
 ‫فقد الرطوبة غير كافي‬
‫من البيضة نتيجة ارتفاع‬
‫الرطوبة بالمفرخات ‪.‬‬

‫?‪Not enough Egg Weight Loss‬‬

‫مكان النقر السليم‬
Hatchery
Eggs
Targets
Need to lose
12% of their
fresh weight to
transfer

Chicks
67% of the
fresh egg
weight
 ‫‪AIS-CM-02‬‬

‫مفاصل محمرة نتيجة‬

‫ارتفاع الرطوبة‬ ‫‪Red‬‬
‫بالمفرخات وانخفاض‬ ‫‪Hocks‬‬
‫الحرارة أو زيادة‬
‫سمك القشرة‬
 ‫‪AIS-CM-02‬‬

‫تأثير تكرار فتح‬

‫المفقس اثتاء‬
‫حدوث الفقس‬
‫يؤدي الى انخفاض‬
‫في الرطوبة‬
‫الالزمة لخروج‬
‫الكتكوت ‪.‬‬
Egg Turning
• Visual recording of egg tray positions important
• Every 3 hours
• 45° angle
 Egg turning during incubation

• Turning during 3-7 days of incubation is

critical

• Sub-embryonic fluid is forming in this time

period
‫تاثيرفترة التقليب اثناء التفريخ على نسبة الفقس‬

‫نسبة الفقس ‪%‬‬ ‫فترة التقليب اثناء التفريخ‬

‫‪28‬‬ ‫‪no turning‬‬

‫‪78‬‬ ‫‪1-7 days‬‬

‫‪95‬‬ ‫‪1-14 days‬‬

‫‪92‬‬ ‫‪1-18dys‬‬
 Critical Times During Incubation
For Egg Turning

0-18 days – 78.6%

0 days – 50%

3-7 days – 76.9%

0-3 & 7-18 days – 42.9%

Tullet & Deeming, 1986
‫تاثير زاوية التقليب للبيض أثناء التفريخ‬

‫نسبة الفقس ‪%‬‬ ‫زاوية التقليب‬

‫‪69.3‬‬ ‫‪20 °‬‬

‫‪78.9‬‬ ‫‪30°‬‬

‫‪84.6‬‬ ‫‪45 °‬‬

Our computers
may think
everything is
OK
But, why not
ask the
embryos how
they feel ?
 
37.0 °C

 
36.2 °C 37.8 °C

Infertile or Fertile
dead
• Have been incubating
eggs from about
400 BC in Egypt.

• And, achieved good

hatchability without the
use of electronic sensors,
microprocessors and
plasma screens.
 103.8F

102.7F 102.2F

At least
1.6°F

101.1F
100.6F
(Chick Master Avida) 83.8F
Measuring Eggshell temperatures
Measuring Incubation Temperature

Simple methods are

available for measuring
shell temperature
 Single-Stage Setter
38.0
Temperature ('C)

Heating
37.5

Cooling

37.0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Days of Incubation
 Multistage Incubators

embryo temperature
103 Late dead
<17 cm,
Avg 1.5%
plateau-phase
Late dead
> 17 cm

99.7
99.5

Air temperature
Embryo temperature
 Relationship between incubator air, eggshell
and internal egg temperatures. (French, 1997)
Air Internal Surface

38.4
Temperature °C

38.2

38.0

37.8

37.6

37.4
0 10 20 30
Day of Incubation
 103
Danger

Shell Temperature (F)

102
Risk
101
x
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ideal
100
Risk
99
98 Delayed
hatch
97
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Multi Stage Day of Incubation

Examples 103
Danger
Shell Temperature (F)

102

x x xx Risk
101

x xx x Ideal
100
x
x x
xxxxxxx
Risk
99
98 Delayed
hatch
97
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Day of Incubation

103

xxx
Danger
Shell Temperature (F)

102
x x x Risk
101
x
xx
Ideal
100

99
xxxxxxxxx Risk

Delayed
98
hatch
97
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Day of Incubation
 Temperature profiles

• Data loggers can be placed to follow the whole life of the

egg from the nest to hatch
 FIGURE 13 : SAMPLE TRACE FROM DATA LOGGER INDICATING
TEMPERATURE CONTROL FAILURES IN THE EGG HANDLING PROCESS.

Incubator
40 Nest Box Collection &
Cooling
35
Temperature oC

30

25 A
20 B
15
Storage
10
07/08 08/08 09/08 10/08 11/08 12/08 13/08
Date
 FIGURE 17 : TEMPERATURE TRACE OBTAINED
45 THROUGHOUT THE HANDLING
Nest Box
AND INCUBATION PROCESS
40 Incubator
Temperature oC

Cooling
35
30
25
20
15
Storage
10
07/08 12/08 17/08 22/08 27/08
Date
 Critical points

• Must cool and then not be allowed to go above

physiological zero - 21C
• Many problems
• time in nest
• frequency of collections
• storage conditions on farm & in egg store
Hatchability & Shell Temperature

• Increased shell temperature from day 10

• Highest shell temperature - day 18 (40.5oC)
• All shell temperatures above 38.0oC
• Hatchability related to shell temperature
Hatchability & Shell Temperature
 ‫‪AIS-CM-02‬‬
‫تأثير ارتفاع درجة الحرارة خالل المراحل االخيرة من التفريخ‬
 ‫‪AIS-CM-02‬‬

‫تأثير ارتفاع‬
‫درجة حرارة‬
‫المفرخات خالل‬
‫النصف االخير‬
‫من التفريخ‬
‫نزف باالغشية الدماغية نتيجة ارتفاع الحرارة في‬
‫المفرخات خالل اول ‪ 3‬ايام من التفريخ ونتيجة‬
‫انخفاض معدالت التهوية‪.‬‬

‫‪AIS-02‬‬
 ‫ازدواج باالطراف وانفجار المخ نتيجة ارتفاع الحرارة‬
‫بالمفرخات وسوء تداول البيض‬
‫‪Anomalies.‬‬

‫‪Leg Duplication.‬‬

‫‪Aisz-2002‬‬
‫منقار ملتوي و عين‬
‫مغلقة نتيجة ارتفاع‬
‫الحرارة خالل ‪6-1‬‬
‫يوم من التحضين و‬
‫نتيجة مشاكل تداول‬
‫البيض‬

‫‪AIS-02‬‬
 Conclusions

• Shell temperature depended on position in incubator

• High shell temperatures caused lower hatchability (late
dead & culled chicks)

• High shell temperatures caused by low air velocity

Shell & Air Temperature v Air
Velocity
But…..the hatch window is also
influenced……
The Hatch Window
 Cumulative percentage of chicks hatched

-30h
Ideal
Hatch Window

Pull
 Cumulative percentage of chicks hatched

1
30
Ideal

-30h -20h
Hatch Window

Pull
 Ideal

Cumulative percentage of chicks hatched

Hatch Window

90

30

-30h -20h -10h Pull

 Hatch Window
A Key Observation:

• 30 hours before hatch take-off, should be

no more than 1% of chicks hatched

• Chicks hatching too early lose weight

and begin to dehydrate in the hatcher
 Want clean eggs at chick take-off

Clean eggs mean better chick quality,

better broiler performance, more
profit

 
 

Eggshells should be no dirtier than these:


Some chicks (~5%) still
damp on neck
 Records
• Look in the hatcher baskets at
chick take-off
• Record the dirtiness of the worst
5 eggs on each tray on a scale of 1-5
• Record to Setter, Flock Age and
Egg Storage Period

X X
1 2 3 4 5
 Incubation Research

• There has been a recent upsurge of interest in incubation

research
• 50% increase of papers in Poultry Science in last 5 years
• Why?
Understanding that incubation is not just about hatchability,
it is about post hatch performance
 Live weight correlation
35 days

Weight
7 days
Gain

+ 10 g + 40-50g
Are Your Chicks
Comfortable?
 Chick boxes in dispatch area

Photograph by Mike Czarick, University of Georgia

 Ideal or thermal neutral zone

• Evenly spread in the boxes

• 103F-105F vent temp
• Little noise
• Chicks breathe quietly through their nostrils
 Can we measure ?
YES
• Chick comfort can be determined by measuring
Chick vent temperature.
Measuring Chick Vent Temperature
 Chick Temperature

• Overheating or
chilling chicks either
in the hatcher or
chick holding room
will stress the chick
and reduce broiler
performance
 Chick Temperatures Can Identify
Problems

• Example from a hatcher

• Cool zone where water
from humidity nozzle
spraying onto hatcher
baskets
• Chicks chilled and slow
hatching
 Optimum chick vent temperatures
• 103-105 F
• When and where ???
• Hatchers, chick rooms, chick truck and
on arrival at farms.
• Observe chicks behavior and check near
walls, doors and fans .
 Recommended Post hatch Climate
Settings

• Chick handling ,holding rooms and truck

• 75-79F
• 50 to 60% RH
• 500-600 ppm CO2
• Sufficient but gentle airflow.
 In box Temperatures

• Aim for 30C-87 F to 33C- 92 F inside

the box
• Vent temps between 103F-39.5C and
105 F-40.5C
Not all eggs hatch to give
a normal healthy chick

But, what losses are normal ?

Causes for Losses in Hatchability.

Fertility
24 %
Early Mortality
42 %
Mid Mortality
6% Late Mortality & Pips

28 %

Source: Dr. Keith Bramwell. University of Arkansas. (2002)

 Probability of embryo losses through
days of incubation
0.25
Early Mid Late
Probability of losing embryos

0.2
Usually farm related: Nutrition Setter conditions
0.15 Contamination Hatcher conditions
Egg handling
Egg sanitation Setter Moulds
0.1 Egg storage conditions Poor shell quality
Transport Cracked eggshells
0.05 Disease Late egg transfer
Drugs / Chemicals Malposition
0 Malformations

0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21
Days of Incubation

Kuurman et al. (2003). Poultry Science, 82:214–222

 12

10

8 Infertiles
Early Dead
(%)

6
Mid Dead
4 Late Dead

0
25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Flock Age (Weeks)
 TYPICAL EMBRYONIC MORTALITY -
10 PARENT FLOCK 31 - 45 WEEKS
9

8
% of All Eggs Set

0
Infertile 24hr 48 hour Blood Ring Black Eye Feathers Turned Pipped Air Pipped Shell
Cell
Stages od Development of Embryo
 TYPICAL EMBRYONIC MORTALITY -
PARENT FLOCK 46 - 50 WEEKS
10

8
% of All Eggs Set

0
Infertile 24hr 48 hour Blood Ring Black Eye Feathers Turned Pipped Air Pipped Shell
Cell
Stages od Development of Embryo
 TYPICAL EMBRYONIC MORTALITY -
PARENT FLOCK 51 - 60 WEEKS
10

8
% of All Eggs Set

0
Infertile 24hr 48 hour Blood Ring Black Eye Feathers Turned Pipped Air Pipped Shell
Cell
Stages od Development of Embryo
 FIGURE 14 : PATTERN OF EMBRYONIC MORTALITY
FROM PARENT FLOCK OF 30 WEEKS
OF AGE COMPARED WITH TARGET
Pattern of Embryonic Mortality

3.5
Flock
Target
3.0

2.5
Percentage of eggs set

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
Infertile 24h 48h Blood Ring Black Eye Feathers Turned Pipped Pipped Shell
Stage of Development
 Conclusions

• Systematic use of technique described permits analysis of

the incubation process.
• The information can be used to identify where the
problems are occurring and how they can be resolved.
Newfolder\AAHowTo5BreakOutandAn
alyzeHatchDebris.pdf
 Hatchery Targets
• Hatch of all eggs set
• Hatch of fertile eggs

• Egg weight loss during incubation

• Chick Yield
• Correct Hatch Window

• Embryo losses (Early, Mid, Late deads)

• 7 day bodyweights on the farm

• 7 day chick mortality
Quickly give the chicks what they need:

• Warmth and Moisture (Humidity)

Brooding Temperature 30 - 33 °C

Brooding temperature is measured at

the level of the chicks (litter)
 Large differences in temperature
can occur with small changes in
height
40.0°C
40

35

Sensor 32°C 30

Litter 27°C
25

20

Low litter temperatures can have a18.0°C

big
effect on performance
Plenty of feed and water
Ideal
Within 8 hours 80% of chicks have full crops

Within 24 hours 95% of chicks have full crops

If hard, need to increase access to water

Crop must be full, but soft

 Two days old...
Feed
availa
ble
at
start
Feed
availa
ble 8
hours
later

No
feed
 Getting these right is the key to

Good hatchability,

Good chick quality

and the best start on the broiler farm

Many Thanks for Your
Attention!
By :Hussien Gamel