POULTRY SCIENCE OF LIVESTOCK

AND NON RUMINANTS

PRACTICAL REPORT 2016

NAME: PAVITHRA A/P SANTHARA MOGAN

NIM: 061511133285
CLASS: E
TOPIC: EGG HATCHERY

FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

AIRLANGGA UNIVERSITY
2016
 TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction………..……... Pg. 2-3

Procedure………………….. Pg. 4

Egg Classifications……...... Pg. 5

Candling………………….. Pg. 6

Results……………………. Pg. 7

Discussion………………... Pg. 7

Conclusion………………. Pg. 8

Photo Attachments………... Pg. 9-11

Sources………...………..... Pg. 12
 INTRODUCTION

When incubating eggs, there are several important measures to have control over. Firstly
the temperature- the eggs have to be kept in a temperature of 38 degree Celsius at all times. This
is vital due to the fact if the temperature was lower or higher just for a few hours, the embryo
will not survive. Secondly, 40 to 50 percent humidity must be maintained for the first 18 days;
65 to 75 percent humidity is needed for the final days before hatching. Third, for ventilation, egg
shells are porous, allowing oxygen to enter and carbon dioxide to exit; incubators need to have
holes or vents that allow fresh air to circulate so the fetuses can breathe

Next, when picking eggs to incubate, use those that are clean, well-formed and full-size.
Above all, do not clean the eggs—there is a naturally occurring coating that is vital to the success
of the embryo. Wash your hands before handling and be as gentle as possible, as the embryos are
extremely susceptible to damage from sudden movements.

Ideally, the eggs are transferred directly to the incubator, but it’s possible to store them in
egg cartons if needed. Kept at temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees and 75 percent humidity,
the development of the eggs can be delayed for up to ten days without sacrificing the viability of
the embryos. However, they must be stored with the fat side of the egg pointed up to keep the
embryo alive.

It takes 21 days on average for an egg to hatch once incubation begins. Before placing the
eggs inside, turn on the heat source and measure the temperature and humidity over a 24-hour
period, making adjustments as necessary to create the optimal environment. If the humidity is too
high or low, use a sponge with more or less surface area to adjust it. Raise and lower the
temperature of the heat source in tiny increments until the thermometer reads 99.5.

After that, once the incubator is functioning properly, it’s just a matter of maintaining the
environment until the chicks hatch. Place the eggs on their side in the incubator, close the door
and check the levels religiously to make sure nothing goes askew. Water may have to be added
to the pan occasionally to keep the humidity up. At day 18, add more water to boost the humidity
level.

Lastly, at least three times a day, gently turn the eggs over; more frequent turning is even
better, but the number of turns per day should be odd (3, 5, 7 etc.) so that the eggs are never
resting on the same side for two consecutive nights. Experts also recommend alternating the
direction of turning each time—the goal is to vary the position of the embryo as much as
possible. Continue turning until day 18, but then leave the eggs alone for the last few days. In the
final days before hatching. The eggs may be observed shifting about on their own as the fetus
becomes active. The chick will eventually peck a small hole in the large end of the egg and take
its first breath. It is normal at this point for the chick to rest for six to 12 hours while its lungs
adjust before continuing to hatch. Resist the urge to help with the hatching process—it’s easy to
cause injury. Once the chick is free from the egg, let it dry off in the warmth of the incubator
before moving it a brooder, where it will spend the first weeks of its life.
 PROCEDURE

TOOLS: 1. Incubator
2. Scale
3. Candling apparatus

MATERIALS: 1. One Fertile Chicken Egg

STEPS: 1. Prepare the tools and materials

2. Give the egg an identity or marking
3. Weigh the egg on the scale and write the results
4. Measure the egg’s index (width/length) and write the results
5. Place the egg into the incubator with the air sac facing on top
6. Control the temperature by making sure it is at 38 degree Celsius
7. Control the humidity by making sure there is water in the water container below
8. On days 1-3 let the eggs be on the shelf in a fixed position
9. From days 3-18 candling has to be done at least 3 times a day in odd numbers
10. Candling has to be done twice; on the 7th and 14th day
11. Remove eggs that are infertile after the first candling or second candling depending
On the rate of growth
12. Break the eggs that did not hatch to view results after 21st day
 EGG CLASSIFICATIONS

The egg was picked and had to be checked for an egg index. To know the egg index the
width and height of the egg had to be calculated first. To do that, the egg was placed on a piece
of paper and traced along its width and height. A ruler was then used to measure the width and
height of the egg. To calculate the egg index, a formula was put to use. The formula was based
on: The egg’s width divided by the egg’s length multiplied by a hundred percent. The weight of
the egg on the other hand, was measured by placing the egg on a scale with the accuracy of 0.01.
It is vital to know the eggs index as it helps to find a perfect fertile egg that will be able to hatch.
The perfect egg index is 65 - 70%.

WEIGHT OF EGG: 37.02

LENGTH OF THE EGG: 5.0cm

WIDTH OF THE EGG: 3.5cm

EGG INDEX: Egg’s Width x 100%
Egg’s Length

: 3.5 cm x 100%
5.0cm

: 70 %
 CANDLING

It is necessary to candle eggs for fertility when you are incubating eggs artificially using
an incubator. Infertile or bad eggs can be discarded so that there is no risk of them going bad and
exploding inside the incubator, contaminating the other eggs. If you are using a separate
incubator or hatcher for the last few days of incubation to hatch your eggs, the extra space can be
used for more eggs, provided the incubator is kept sterile. Candling does not damage the
embryos inside the eggs as long as you don’t heat the egg up too much with the heat from the
candling device or keep the eggs out of the incubator for too long, so it is ideal to get a glimpse
at what is going on inside your eggs.

PROCESS:
TOTAL Candling done: 5 Candlings
Candling I: The first candling was done on the 7th day. There was a dark dot or tiny circle which
is the embryo growing. It is visible with a few blood vessels. The air sac is still small.
Candling II: The second candling was done on the 14th day. Embryo is a dark patch in the center,
blood vessels can be seen but the air sac wasn’t big as other eggs.
Additional Candling I: The additional candling was done on the 18th day as the embryo did not
hatch yet. It shows that the Embryo has no any difference where the air sac nor the embryo
gotten larger.
Additional Candling II: The second additional candling was done on the 20th day. It shows that
the embryo had stopped growing but had no signs of hatching yet.
Additional Candling III: The third and final additional candling on last day shows no results of
the embryo to hatch and thus, let the egg to be forced hatched by breaking the egg for its result .
 RESULT

The egg did not hatch by the 21st day and had to be forcefully opened. This is due to the
fact that the embryo may have died in the ongoing process after the second candling. It wasn’t a
full term embryo . The eggtopsy shows that there was a yolk left which means that the yolk sac
was not absorbed or only partially absorbed. There was also residual albumen. There wasn’t any
sort of growth for the embryo to be a chick . It died with leaving just a little black dot during the
16th-21st day .

DISCUSSION
Eggs failing to hatch can be a disappointing and sometimes costly experience and finding
the cause of the problem can and will help prevent future losses. Failures to hatch can either be
caused by a problem with the breeder flock, incorrect handling/storing of the eggs, or incorrect
incubation techniques/incubator settings.
In my experiment, the embryo did not grow into a chick and died leaving a black dot in
the shell. There was a thick yolk and a albumin residues in the egg after it was forcefully opened
. The reasons may be due to inadequate turning during incubation, especially during the first
week, resulting in decreased embryonic membrane development and nutrient absorption.
Secondly, due to high humidity during incubation or after lockdown. The death of the embryo
may also be caused by the incubator temperature being too high or low throughout the
incubation; a one-off fall in incubator temperature (for example if you've had an electricity
outage); cold spots if you're using a still air incubator; or if eggs were sent by post they may have
got cold in transit. Other reasons may be due to nutritional deficiencies, Hereditary, Disease in
the breeder flock, the Eggs stored too long prior to setting or inadequate ventilation.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there are two types of precautions that have to be taken to ensure a chick is
hatched properly without any hassle. The two precautions are the handling of the egg and the
characteristics of the egg.
 In the characteristics of the egg, we should watch for a proper good quality egg shape as
it gives a better egg index. A good quality hatching egg has a blunt side containing a small air
cell and a clearly recognizable sharp end. Do not use abnormally shaped eggs or eggs that are too
large or small when you tend to do egg hatchery. Too many abnormal or misshapen eggs
signifies immaturity of the shell gland, young parent stock, disease, stress and overcrowding in
the flock. Larger eggs are often double yolks which very rarely hatch. Often small eggs are pullet eggs
which shouldn't be hatched. Odd shaped eggs won't allow the chick proper room to grow and it will die in
the egg or be malformed. 
In handling the egg there is during incubation and during hatching. During the incubation period,
we should rotate the egg 3 or more times a day but only in odd numbers so that the egg won’t sleep on the
same side overnight. We should also control the temperature by making sure it is constantly at 38 degree
Celsius so that the chick will not die to over heating or coldness. Next we should also control the
humidity by making sure the water level in the water container is enough and it doesn’t get dried out.

During hatching of the egg, in an incubator, the ideal temperature is exactly the same as it
is for incubation which is 38º - 39ºC. Humidity levels, though, should be raised three days before
the hatch is due (so raise it at day 18) from 45% to 65%.  If it's not, there's a danger that the
membrane will lose moisture and become too hard for the chick to pip through. Be careful not to
let it get too high - the chicks won't be able to dry and there's a danger they'll chill and die. We
should also stop turning them at day 18 and they shouldn't be touched again at all.  This gives the
hatchling a chance to get into the correct position for pipping. Keep the incubator closed,
opening it only if you judge that you need to top up water to increase humidity and if you need to
move a chick into the brooder.  Make sure there are no pips in the other shells first though. We
should also not help hatch the egg and help the chick out of the egg. It can take over 24 hours
from pip to hatching.  Trying to help it along can do far more harm than good. As the chick gets
ready for hatching it absorbs into itself the whole of the yolk so that it has enough food and water
to keep it going for a couple of days after hatching.  Added to that, the blood vessels in the yolk
also recede into it. The problem with assisting is that the yolk and the blood vessels may not be
properly absorbed.  Once it's hatched it will not be able to absorb them any further and you run
the risk of killing a perfectly healthy chick. 

PHOTO ATTACHMENTS

1. This image shows the Egg Incubator used in the experiment

2. This image shows the eggs that are undergoing egg hatchery inside the incubator. It also
shows the inclines egg trays and the water container used to control humidity.

3. This image shows the Candling apparatus when turned off

4. This image shows the candling apparatus when switched on

5. This image shows the embryo with blood vessels during candling
6. This image shows the final product of the dead embryo after force hatching it

SOURCES
1. Chan, H. dan M. Zamrowi. 1993. Pemeliharaan dan Cara Pembibitan Ayam Petelur.
Penerbit Andes Utama. Jakarta.

2. Nuryati, T. N., Sutarto, M. Khamin dan P. S. Hardjosworo. 1998. Sukses Menetaskan

Telur. Penebar Swadaya. Jakarta.

3. Kuit, H. G., A. Traore and R. T. Wilson, 1986. Livestick production in Central Mail:
Ownership, management and producyivity of poultry in the traditional sector.
Tropical Animal Health and Production, 18: 222-231.

4. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/facts-and-miths-about-fertile-eggs.html?
m=1

5. http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-just-21-days-from-
egg-to-chicken