Hatching Best Management

Practices
Dan Campeau
Area Specialized Agent – Poultry
Chatham, Lee, Randolph, Moore
& Harnett Counties
Resources – Dr.Mike Wineland and NCSU Publications
From the Farm back to the Farm
 Breeder Flock Considerations
 Egg Handling/Storage
 Hatchery Environment
 Cleanliness/ The Best Management
Practice
 Evaluating your Sanitation program
 The End Product- Healthy Chicks
Breeder Flock Considerations
 Age of birds - Younger birds will lay smaller
eggs. Older birds will lay larger eggs. Medium
to large eggs will produce the best quality
chicks.
 Make sure Diets are more than adequate for the
breeder flocks age and production level.
 Vaccine Status- All flocks should be on same
protocol. May want to use NPIP protocols as a
place to start.
Egg Handling on the farm
 Need to collect eggs at least twice per day
 Need to save only clean eggs.
 Do NOT store eggs for more than seven days.
 Cooler needs to be running at 65 F and 75%
relative humidity.
 Keep room intake filters clean to decrease
contamination by bacteria or fungi.
Egg Storage: Temperature
 Hatching eggs normally stored at
temperatures between 12-18º C (54-65º F)
 Cools egg - limits embryo development
 Minimizes bacterial growth
Egg Storage
 Optimum storage temperature should be
decreased with increased storage time
(Mayes & Takeballi, 1984) (Wilson, 1991)

 10-12º C (50-54 F) more than 7 days

Egg Storage: Humidity
 Humidity 70-80% to minimize water loss

 Higher humidity favor mold and bacteria

 Air movement has little effect upon

additional loss
Egg Orientation and Hatchability
 Some evidence that during long term
storage that eggs should be turned

 Eggs should be set with large end up

 Hatch and Embryo Mortality for
Different Egg Types

Egg Type Fert.Early Mid Late Hatch Wt.

Dead Dead Dead /Fertile Loss
Normal 98.3 3.9 0.0 4.5 91.6 10.7
Pimpled 93.8 30.0 0.0 12.5 57.5 13.3
Wrinkled 98.4 21.7 0.0 16.7 61.6 11.9
Round 90.0 30.0 0.0 20.0 49.7 12.7
Misshapen 95.2 25.1 0.0 11.9 63.0 13.0
Egg transport from Farm to
Hatchery
 Transfer of eggs from farm to hatchery.
Vehicle needs to have a refrigeration unit
so eggs do not get warm while in transit

 Trucks need to be kept washed and

sanitized between pickups and before
returning to hatchery
Hatchery Environment
 Building layout
 Egg traffic patterns
 Air Flow
 All in – all out concept
 Separation from Flock and uninvited
visitors
Hatchery-Building Layout
 Thought should be given to traffic patterns from egg entry
to chick transport to farm

 Have separate rooms for cool storage, setter, hallways

(optional), hatchers, chick processing and chick transport
rooms

 Make sure air flow is correct, i.e., intake is from cleanest

part of hatchery to the out flow (into other parts of
hatchery). Try to maintain positive air pressure.
*Remember that Hatcher and Setter get their Air Intake
from their individual rooms that they are in.
Hatchery- Egg Traffic patters
 Egg enters hatchery from farm via transport vehicle into
Cool/Storage room.
 Eggs are transferred to Setter racks.
 Eggs are then brought up to room temperature in Setter
room that is maintained at 75º F and 50% RH.
 Eggs are then transferred into Setter for first 17-18 days.
 Eggs are then moved to Hatchers in a separate room.
Hatching room needs to also be maintained at 75º F and
50% RH.
Hatcher – Egg/Chick Traffic
patterns (continued)
 Chicks are taken to a separate processing
room where they are vaccinated and
counted into baskets of 102 birds

 Chicks are then taken to Loading area

where they are put in climate control
vehicles to be taken to the Broiler or End
Farm
Cleanliness- The Most Important
Best Management Practice.
 Need to think about thoroughly cleaning multi stage
setters using periodic washings and sanitizing foggers.
 If using single stage setters then wash and sanitize
between batches of eggs.
 In using Hatchers, make sure to contain all organic
matter in the room. Thoroughly clean Hatcher and room
between batches.
 Clean Chick processing area after each use.
 Cooler, Halls and the rest of the Hatchery building
should be cleaned on a weekly basis.
Cleanliness- The Most Important
Best Management Practice.
 Chick transfer vehicles should be cleaned and
sanitized before and after they are used.
 Egg transfer vehicles should be cleaned and
sanitized before and after each use.
 Loading area needs to be cleaned between
hatchings.
 Consider having a separate wash area for
vehicles away from Hatchery.
Evaluating your total Sanitation
program
 Hatchability percentages
 Embryo mortality rates
 Number (percentage) of rotten eggs in
setter
 First 4 day post hatching mortality rates of
chicks
 Results from Bacterial and Fungal cultures
Evaluating- Cultures
 Simplest way is to use agar plates.
 Put them out in different parts of hatchery
building (label them) for 10 minutes.
 For Bacterial cultures - put them in zip lock
bags and put them in Setters for 2 days.
 For Fungal cultures put them in zip lock
bags and put them out at room temp for 4-
5 days.
Evaluating Cultures (cont.)
 Use the following chart to see if you need
to improve your cleaning habits.
Setter & Egg Rooms (after cleaning):
Number of colonies per air plate
Bacteria Mold Rating

0-10 0 Clean

11-20 1-3 Slightly contaminated

21-30 4-6 Moderately contaminated

31 or 7 or Heavily contaminated
more more
Evaluating Cultures (cont.)
 Use the following chart to see if you need
to improve
imp your cleaning habits.
Hatcher & other Rooms (after cleaning):
Number of colonies per air plate
Bacteria Mold Rating

0-15 0-3 Clean

16-30 4-6 Slightly contaminated

31-45 7-10 Moderately contaminated

46 or 11 or Heavily contaminated
more more
Cleaning supplies
 Please see handout.
The End Product- Healthy Chicks
 A Healthy Biddy