Beginners in poultry farming can face various difficulties, both small and serious. For example, breeding chicks in an incubator ] is a rather complicated procedure and requires certain skills. First of all, the issue of proper selection, storage and laying of incubation material should be studied.
In this article, we will look at several points in detail, and this information will be useful to you when incubating chicken, goose , quail , duck and other eggs. In particular, we will learn how to store a hatching egg at home, how to properly lay eggs in an incubator, how to process an incubator and prepare eggs for laying.
Storage of hatching eggs before laying in the incubator
The first and basic rule is to lay only fresh eggs. How much can be stored? The shelf life should not exceed 10 days, otherwise you can not even dream of a successful withdrawal.
At what temperature should it be stored? Another important question, we answer - storage is possible only at room temperature. The eggs that you pulled out of the refrigerator for laying in the incubator will fit only for an omelette.
Make sure that the eggs stored for laying are located with the sharp end up. It is also necessary to turn the eggs so that the yellow does not stick to the shell.
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How to choose the right eggs for incubation
When selecting material, great attention must be paid to the shape of each egg. If elongated, too large, round, with a rough shell come across, then such eggs are rejected.
You should also inspect for damage and defects. Eggs with two yolks and bloody secretions are not suitable.
Proper laying of eggs in the incubator
Before proceeding with laying, it is necessary to once again carefully inspect each egg for defects and damage. It does not hurt to check with an ovoscope - a special device that allows you to examine the internal state of the egg.
In no case do not wash the eggs, otherwise the pores through which air enters will be clogged, in addition, the film protecting the shell will collapse.
When to Pawn
laying eggs in the incubator around the evening at 18.00-19.00, so at the end of the incubation period, the chicks will begin to hatch early in the morning and throughout the day.
Another caveat - do not put all the eggs in the incubator It is better to sort them and lay them first large, then medium, then small. This should be done after 4 hours after each bookmark. As a result, all the chicks will hatch at the same time.
You can not lay eggs in a cold state. Before laying, they should warm up to room temperature. In general, the temperature regime is a very important factor that directly affects the development and successful breeding of chicks.
The embryo in the egg should not be supercooled or, on the contrary, overheated. Do not allow even a short-term change in temperature. Therefore, if you do not have experience in incubation , then it is better to start doing this with the help of modern incubators that are equipped with all the necessary features to maintain an optimal microclimate.
Read more: How to know if an egg is fertilized or not
So far, I have not used the incubator, I only plan to. Thank you for telling me how to properly lay eggs there.