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Hatching - Incubation
Hatching of eggs refers to the production of baby chicks. In early days eggs were hatched by placing them under broody hens. Desi hens proved to be ideal for this purpose. Only 10 to 12 eggs can be put under 1 hen. This method of hatching is highly unsatisfactory for large-scale production of baby chicks. Incubators, which provide similar environment as that of broody hens, but more efficiently, are used at present for hatching of eggs. The incubation period for chicken eggs is 20 to 21 days, and increases up to 30 days for other poultry. After sitting for some days, a broody hen can be given some newly hatched chicks and, if they are accepted, the original eggs can be removed and replaced with more chicks. Thus hens with a better record of mothering can be better utilised for their abilities. Eggs initially need a very controlled heat input to maintain the optimum temperature of 38°C, because the embryo is microscopic in size.
Transporting hatching eggs from breeder farms to the hatchery is a critical stage in the hatchery production chain. Even if egg collection, disinfection, and storage are performed correctly, poor transportation practices can compromise hatchability, chick quality, and overall flock performance. Hatchery managers, farm managers, and vehicle drivers must therefore treat egg transport as a specialized and sensitive process. 1. Why Transport Conditions Matter? v...
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What is Hypoxia in Incubation? Hypoxia is a condition where the embryo does not receive enough oxygen (O 2 ) for normal metabolism during incubation. Inside the egg, oxygen must pass through: Air cell Eggshell pores Shell membranes Chorioallantoic membranes (CAM) Embryos circulatory system When the oxygen supply is lower than the embryo’s metabolic demand than embryo faces oxygen shortage, and this...
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A few days ago, during routine egg breaking and quality observation in the hatchery, I encountered something that immediately caught my attention. The egg looked normal externally, but once opened, a distinct clotted blood spot was visible on the yolk. For a hatchery professional, this is never “just a spot.” It is a signal worth understanding. What is a clotted blood spot in the yolk? A clotted blood spot forms when significant rupture of...
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Mr. Vaibhav Pawar, Managing Director at Swapnil Agro & Poultry, breaks down India’s biggest needs in poultry nutrition, shares how waste can become energy through rendering and biogas, and explains why amino acid profiling is the innovation the country must adopt immediately. ...
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Mukesh Kumar Meshram, Principal Secretary of Animal Husbandry in Uttar Pradesh, explains the region’s poultry supply gap and the need for new farms and hatcheries. He highlights low egg availability, lack of technical training, and the urgency to improve cattle genetics. The state seeks private sector involvement to modernize infrastructure, boost productivity, and strengthen disease control. ...
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The UGA International Poultry Short Course provides a comprehensive overview of modern poultry production.
It is intended for those individuals with limited knowledge of poultry, as well as those who might have considerable experience in one area of poultry production but would like to have a better...
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I. INTRODUCTION Body composition, more specifically breast muscle and the abdominal fat pad, at the end of the rearing period of breeder pullets seems to play an important role in egg production, lay persistency, and fertility in the laying phase. Management of feeding by changing feed allowance or nutrient composition of the breeder pullet’s diet during rearing can alter body composition at the onset of lay. Adequate dietary protein is necessary to have optimum ovary...
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While the breeding programs of commercial meat chickens select birds with robust legs (Davis, 2015), poor leg strength and reduced locomotion are frequently observed in late stages of growth. We have previously reported that lower egg shell temperatures during early incubation, which delays chick hatch time, increases bone ash (BA) (Muir and Groves, 2017). Observations from our research and the literature (e.g. Ulmer-Franco et al., 2010) suggest that maternal breeder flock age may influence...
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I. INTRODUCTION Production improvements in commercial meat chickens via genetic selection and improved husbandry have resulted in rapid growing birds. These birds have endemically reduced locomotor ability; a conservative estimate is that 30% of birds in a flock are likely to have poor mobility (Knowles et al, 2008). Leg weakness has a direct impact on production due to lower bird quality, which may result in culls or condemnation of carcasses. While not well understood, early rapid...
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1. Introduction The surface of eggshells can be contaminated by bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp., which may account for 84% and 77% of the present Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively [1]. In addition to antibiotic resistance [1], Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp. (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus) may also be associated with the death of chicken embryos [2,3]. Eggs appear to be quite vulnerable to several threats, even biofilm...
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An essential oil shows promise for improving the immunity of broiler chickens before they hatch, according to University of Queensland research. Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation’s Dr Mila Meijer injected oregano essential oil compounds into fertile eggs to test its impact and found that it had a positive impact on the developing chick’s immune system. “Carvacrol is the main compound found in...
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In recent years, the poultry industry has been increasingly interested in determining gender of newly hatched chicks so birds can be sorted into separate sex groups for rearing. However, at hatch, accurately sexing chicks is difficult as both sexes exhibit similar characteristics until approximately one month of...
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Dr. Keith Bramwell, Director of Global Hatchery Consultants at Jamesway, shares his expertise on the science behind incubation and the importance of precision in creating the ideal environment for embryos to thrive. With over 25 years in poultry science, Dr. Bramwell explains how Jamesway’s innovative technology mimics nature, offering a highly efficient and user-friendly incubation process that results in better quality chicks and improved farm performance....
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Oxidative stress in animal production: how is it generated and how can we reduce it?
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Anke Förster (Agri Advanced Technologies) explains how to detect the sex of the developing embryo through hyperspectral imaging, in this Engormix interview during IPPE 2025 in Atlanta, USA....
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Jörg Hurlin (Agri Advanced Technologies) discusses their specialized systems for hatching egg sanitation, in-ovo sexing, and breeder sorting in this Engormix interview during IPPE 2025 in Atlanta, USA....
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Raquel Burin (Zinpro) discusses the correlation between eggshell translucency and performance parameters, in this Engormix interview during IPPE 2025 in Atlanta, USA....
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Mike Petrik (Petrik Veterinary Consultants) discusses four in-ovo sexing technologies and their differences in this Engormix interview during IPPE 2025 in Atlanta, USA....
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INTRODUCTION The storage of hatching eggs is a common routine in hatcheries and varying in duration depending on hatchery capacity and the demand of day old chicks (Gharib, 2013). In some cases, the need of extending the period of storage more than seven days may takes place. Hatching eggs are stored, generally, to minimize transport cost or to collect enough eggs for high capacity incubators. Egg storage for more than 7 days deteriorated the egg white, increased embryonic...
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Author details: 1 Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil 2 Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA), University of São Paulo, São Paulo 13416-000, Brazil 3 Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil 4 Federal Institute of Brasília—Campus Planaltina, Brasília 73380-900, Brazil. 1....
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