Incubation and Hatchery Management Flashcards
what is the role of commercial haterchy
- Multiplier breeding flocks (sexually mature birds M/F)
- fertile eggs (hatching eggs)
- multiplier Hatchery
- day old hatchlings
T/F chickens and turkeys dont get sexually mature before slaughter
TRUE
what are some egg transmitted (trans-ovarian) diseases
- salmonella pullorum
- avian encephalomyelitis
- mycoplasmas (gallisepticum, meleagridis, synovitis)
what are the two methods of disease managment
eradication or vaccination
what are some maternal transfer of antibodies
- hyperimmunization of breeder hens
- infectious burial disease
- chick anemia virus
how can you check for diseases in birds
- blood testing to ensure breeders are disease free and have been successfully vaccinated
why is nutrition important
- helps with egg composition
- vitamins and minerals (calcium is the most important for shell formation)
when should you feed a bird a breeder diet
feed right before sexual maturity
ensure strong egg formation
what are you looking for in egg quality checks
- temperature
- shell quality = cracks high chance of breaking and disease
- microbial contamination = diseases associated with egg shell bacteria
why dont we wash eggs
removes natural barrier and open up risk for contamination
why would eggs get dirty of cracked
- hens laying eggs on floor of barn
- egg explosions during incubation or hatching
why might they use nest boxes
- natural behaviour
- isolated, quiet, safe and clean
what factors affect hatching egg quality
- provide hens with clean nests
- train hens to lay in nests( floor eggs should be discarded
- collect eggs 2-4 times per day ( egg belts should be clean) 3 times a day minimum
- maintain high quality litter
- store eggs in clean facility
why is location for egg storing important
- primarily on the breeder farm
- at the hatchery
- clean and proper temperature
What is the proper storing temperature
“physiological zero”
- the temperatures stopping development
- 10-18 C
- use cooler end of range for longer storage times
what is a hatch window
majority of the chicks hatching at the same time
what is relative humidity
70-80%
- to dry, will dry out inner egg
- to moist, potential contamination
what is the duration of storage
- 1-7 days
- longer storage affects total hatch, uniformity of hatch and performance of offspring
what happens when the hatch is to early
- dehydrates from humidity
what happens when the hatch is too late
they dont dry off and not as developed, coming into cold environment and they can catch a chill
how can eggs get cleaned
- spraying with or washing in disinfectant
- fumigation with formaldehyde gas
why dont we want natural incubation tendencies in a commercial setting
- she will continue to sit on egg to hatch and stop laying for up to 18 days
- broodiness
what are physical set ups of hatcherys
setting (setter/incubation)
hatching (hatcher) machines
seperated in hatchery
what is traffic like in a hacthery
one way flow of traffic
biosecurity purposes
- do not want eggs going anywhere they arent suppose to incase of illness
