EPS-001 7/13 Incubating and Hatching Eggs Gregory S. Archer and A. Lee Cartwright* hether eggs come from a common chicken Factors that affect hatchability or an exotic bird, you must store and incu- W Breeder Hatchery bate them carefully for a successful hatch. Envi- Breeder nutrition Sanitation ronmental conditions, handling, sanitation, and Disease Egg storage record keeping are all important factors when it Mating activity Egg damage comes to incubating and hatching eggs. Egg damage Incubation—Management of Correct male and female setters and hatchers Fertile egg quality body weight Chick handling A fertile egg is alive; each egg contains living cells Egg sanitation that can become a viable embryo and then a chick. Egg storage Eggs are fragile and a successful hatch begins with undamaged eggs that are fresh, clean, and fertile. Collecting and storing fertile eggs You can produce fertile eggs yourself or obtain Fertile eggs must be collected carefully and stored them elsewhere. While commercial hatcheries properly until they are incubated. Keeping the produce quality eggs that are highly fertile, many eggs at proper storage temperatures keeps the do not ship small quantities. If you mail order embryo from starting and stopping development, eggs, be sure to pick them up promptly from your which increases embryo mortality. Collecting receiving area. Hatchability will decrease if eggs eggs frequently and storing them properly delays are handled poorly or get too hot or too cold in embryo development until you are ready to incu- transit. bate them. If you produce the eggs on site, you must care for the breeding stock properly to ensure maximum Egg storage reminders fertility. Egg quality and embryo survival are • Store less than 10 days influenced by hen and sire’s: • Maintain temperature between 55 to 65°F ◆ age ◆ ratio • Keep relative humidity at 75 percent • Turn eggs stored more than a week ◆ health ◆ genetics • Handle eggs with care! ◆ nutrition ◆ stress Cleaning and culling * Assistant Professor and Extension Poultry Specialist, Do not incubate eggs that are cracked, misshapen, Associate Professor and Extension Poultry Specialist, soiled, or unusually small or large. These rarely The Texas A&M University System hatch andcan potentially contaminate the good eggs. Do not wash or wipe eggs with a damp cloth. increase the humidity, place a pan of water in the Doing so can remove the egg’s protective layer storage room. It is the surface area of the water and allow disease and bacteria to enter. It can also influences humidity, not the depth of the water. spread bacteria from one dirty egg to others. Avoid drafts; these can dry the eggs out even when humidity is within the appropriate range. You can gently buff soiled eggs with fine sand paper but this can also damage the egg’s protective Positioning and turning eggs during storage coating. It is best to avoid incubating soiled eggs. If you plan to store eggs for less than ten days General care before incubating, place them on flats with the large end up. You do not need to turn the eggs if Once you have eggs to incubate, avoid damaging they will be incubated within a week of being laid. or contaminating them. Wash your hands fre- You should cover the eggs with a loose material to quently to remove bacteria from your hands. keep them clean. Storage time If you plan to store eggs for more than 10 days, Eggs should be set as soon after you collect them tilt them from side to side over a 90-degree angle as possible. Storing eggs for at least three days once or twice daily. You can do this by placing a helps prepare them for incubation; however, fresh six-inch block under one end of the flat, switching and stored eggs should not be set together. the end of the flat each day until incubation. It is best to incubate eggs within 7 to 10 days of Incubation their being laid. Hatchability decreases rapidly An incubator is basically a box that holds eggs when eggs are stored for more than 10 days. After while maintaining an appropriate temperature, 7 days, hatchability decreases 0.5 to 1.5 percent humidity, and oxygen level. Incubators have vary- per day. Each day in storage adds one hour to the ing capacities and adapters for eggs from different incubation time. species. Temperature and humidity during storage Popular incubator models often include automatic Fertile eggs should be stored between 55 and turners, humidifiers, and temperature controllers. 65°F. If fertile eggs reach temperatures above Egg turners can usually be purchased separately 72°F, embryos will begin to develop abnormally, for incubators that do not include them. Humidi- weaken, and die. Embryos stored below 46°F also fiers can be the type that disperses water vapor as have high embryo mortality. Room temperature is needed or many smaller incubators use a simple generally too warm and the refrigerator is too cold water reservoir. Temperature is controlled by older for storing fertile eggs. If you plan to store eggs in wafer systems or the newer digital thermostats. a refrigerator, adjust it to an appropriate tempera- Incubators come in forced air or still air versions. ture. The temperature and humidity in a forced air Fertile eggs should be stored at 70 to 80 percent incubator is more consistent. They also return to relative humidity. High humidity can cause con- desired temperature and humidity more quickly densation to form on the eggshell. This can clog after being opened. the pores on the eggshell and cause contamination Still air incubators can give inaccurate humidity the same way washing does. Clogging the pores and temperature readings and the temperature in can also suffocate the embryo. them can vary considerably. Whenever possible, Low humidity during storage can make the egg use a forced air incubator. Regardless of incuba- lose internal moisture and kill the embryo. To tor type, for a successful hatch you must turn the 2 eggs and monitor the temperature, humidity, and The day eggs are set ventilation. Let stored eggs warm to room temperature for The incubator should be in a room that has no 4 hours to 8 hours before setting them in the drafts or direct sunlight; the temperature and incubator. If you place cold eggs in a warm, humid humidity should be controlled and stable. The incubator, condensation will form on them and incubator and hatcher should also be isolated lead to possible contamination or suffocation. from the growing facilities. Newly hatched chicks Once the eggs are in the incubator, do not adjust can be contaminated by older birds and the dust the temperature or humidity for a few hours, created by growing birds. Take biosecurity mea- unless the temperature exceeds 102°F. After 4 sures to insure the incubator area is not contami- hours, make proper adjustments. The final tem- nated by older birds. perature should vary only .5 degree above or Chicks may be hatched in the incubator depend- below 99.5°F. The temperature of incubators with- ing on what type it is; however, hatching creates out circulating fans fluctuates more than incuba- large amounts of dust and down. Hatching in tors with circulating fans. If the temperature does a separate unit will keep dust and down from not exceed 102°F, the hatch should not be harmed. contaminating the incubator. Temperature and Set the small end of the egg lower than the large humidity can also be controlled more easily if you end in the incubator. A developing embryo orients use separate units for incubating and hatching. so that the head develops toward the air cell, Regardless of method, you must properly clean which is in the large end of the egg. If the small and disinfect the incubator and hatcher between end is higher than the large end during incuba- batches. tion, a chick’s head can orient away from the air Two to three days before incubation cell of the egg and not hatch. Sanitize the incubator and run it for several days Set stage before setting the eggs. This will ensure that the The set stage refers to incubation period up until incubator is maintaining the proper temperature 2 or 3 days before a hatch. Different species have and relative humidity before the eggs are set. different incubation periods (Table 1). Incubating Adjusting the temperature and humidity after the different species together in the same incubator is eggs are set can decrease hatchability. If you are not recommended, especially if the incubator is using an automatic turner, test it completely before also used as hatcher. setting the eggs. The temperature and humidity of the incubation room should be correct and stable Turning the eggs during incubation prevents when you set the eggs. Do not set the eggs until the embryo death and unhealthy hatches. Eggs must temperature and humidity in the incubators and be turned at least five times every 24 hours. the room are correct and stable. Turning more frequently is better and once per hour is best. Keep accurate records to ensure the Cleaning and fumigation eggs are turned three to five times each 24-hour Microbes in an incubator can significantly reduce period. Failure to turn eggs appropriately results hatchability. Cleaning and disinfecting equipment in embryo death. must be standard operating procedures. Disinfect, Turning must continue even through weekends. incubators, hatchers and their racks with quater- An automatic turner simplifies this task and nary ammonia or a commercial disinfectant after decreases human error during the incubation each hatch. process. 3 Table 1. Incubation period to hatch time and when to transfer to hatcher.