An incubator is a device used in keeping eggs warm in the correct temperature and executing all the required measures to hatch them successfully. This practice is mostly done by poetry farmers for certain reason beneficial to them. Some of these reasons are;

* Chicken deformities/ injury – this is where the chicken is deformed or injured in way that it might find it uncomfortable to hatch all the eggs successfully.
* For experimental purposes – some farmers are passionate about what they do and hence they’ll have to have a glimpse of everything that comes with it. They will practice it to see whether it turns out to be better option than the naturally way of hatching the chicks
* There are some cases of breeding where the chicken instead of spending 21days hatching the eggs, it’s relieved of the time and its out there breeding once more. This also results to fast chick multiplication.
* In cases of chicken death, it might also prompt the farmer to use an incubator as an alternative.



Hatching fertile chicken eggs under an incubator can be a rewarding experience if all goes well after 21 days. However, its important to know that hatch naturally hatched eggs are far more higher than incubated eggs. This means that in order to obtain high yield results from an incubator, certain incubator measures should not be ignored.

Choose a reputable breeder, local farm or hatchery.

Shipping eggs makes them less productive due to handling purposes foe example; they could be constantly moved around, left out in the sun, and jostling mostly during shipping. This can damage the contents of the egg even if it doesn’t break and for this reason its better to choose your eggs locally or better still hatch your own eggs. Even when choosing your own eggs, make sure to choose the best eggs in shape, size and clean. If at all u will need to acquire your eggs locally, then do it from a trusted shop.

There are hatcheries u can obtain advice on how to handle and the measures u should take for better productivity. They should be able have good broodiness and feed their birds a healthy diet. The conditions the birds are kept in will give you an idea of the breeding stock. Eggs from a poorly bred chicken will not produce fertile eggs.

Its important that the chocks should be up to date with worming since it has an impact on the eggs.

Age of the eggs & storage

Its recommended that eggs should not be left out too much before being introduced to the incubator. They should not be more than 7-10 days any older eggs than might not be very productive. In some instances where you are not ready to hatch the eggs immediately, they should be kept in a cool place with temperature degrees of 60.

They should also be inclined in an angle of 45degrees (with the pointy end down). Turning the eggs gently few times also ensures that the yolk is centered. Remember this should not last more than 7-10 days. Any further time, the eggs productivity drop.

See also: How Much Does It Cost To Produce A Dozen Eggs?

Choosing a good incubator

For a successful hatch rate, the incubator you use must be of high consideration. Its important to use a well construct incubator than can be more secure for the chicks. Go for certified incubators since there are lots of poor quality incubator out in the market. After choosing your preferred incubator, you should test them. Test the temperature to be sure you can maintain a constant environment throughout the hatch.

Setting the incubator

Purchasing an incubator is one thing while setting it up is another. You should be keen on what environment to set up the incubator since a little rise or drop in temperature will affect the conditions of the eggs. the set up manual that comes with the incubator has instructions on how to set the incubator. Do not set the incubator near sunny windows or in a room that has fluctuating temperatures.

The best recommended way of testing the conditions of the incubator; fill the water channels according to the instructions in manufacturers manual then let it run overnight. Here, you can be able to note if there’s any faults in the incubator and conclude if it’s the perfect conditions for conditions for your eggs.

Keep the incubator clean.

Take good hygiene precautions when handling the incubator. Its good practice to disinfect your hands before handling the eggs in the incubator. Care should be taken not to break the eggs while handling. Use disinfectants to disinfect the incubator to prevent the existence of bacteria in that may interfere with the developing embryo.

Turn the eggs

There is much than just laying the eggs in the incubator and waiting for them to yield. The eggs should be turned atleast few times a day. This prevents adhesion of the embryo to the inner shell membrane and this stimulates the rate of development.

Taking these tips to consideration will result into high hatch rate.

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEE4QPgCqdw
https://morninghomestead.com/what-feed-baby-chickens-hatching/
https://morninghomestead.com/best-chicken-egg-incubators-reviews/
https://elliotthomestead.com/warm-chickens-without-burning-coop/
https://morninghomestead.com/best-chicken-coops-for-sale/
https://morninghomestead.com/best-probiotics-chickens-reviews/