We increased some top automated production equipments and improved the production flow in order to provide you better incubation equipments as well as improve the productivity.

The new address is: No.81,Juhe West Rd.,Pinggu District,Beijing,China.
Original telephone, fax, email and other contact information remain unchanged.

On the occasion of the factory moving, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our friends and customers who always been support us over these years. Please forgive us for the inconvenience to everyone during the relocation,  and welcome to visit our factory in any times.

Features：

Light surrounding the eggs greatly reduced, with the advantages of single egg candling accuracy and table candling efficiency.

Breakage decreased because of soft vacuum egg handling and abandon of 180 degree turning.

Crude workers can do.

Higher working efficiency.

Less working strength.

Up to 50,000 eggs can be disposed per hour.

Different solutions for different trays.Yunfeng can also design and produce

according to customers’requirements.

By Joseph M .Mauldin, from “Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production (5^th Edition)”

Prewarming eggs before setting involves holding them for 4 to 12 hours in a room that is warmer than egg holding room but cooler than the incubator. In many cases, this is in the hallways between the setters. Prewarming is done to reduce the cooling effect the freshly set eggs will have on eggs in the incubator. Generally, if the incubator temperature recovers to the set point with 1 hours after setting new eggs, there is no need for prewarming. There is disagreement among incubator companies as to the benefits of prewarming eggs before incubation. Some feel that prewarming invites egg sweating. Others feel that it helps by reducing the time it takes for the incubator to stabilize temperature and humidity after setting. The incubator company making the recommendation whether or not prewarm probably knows which method works best for its machines. In single-stage machines, there is no need for a prewarming room, as temperature can be more carefully controlled in the setter.

By Joseph M .Mauldin, from “Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production (5^th Edition)”

Hatching eggs are generally to 3 days old by the time they reach the hatchery where they are stored prior to incubation. Holding conditions along with any handling procedures can have a great bearing on their potential to hatch and produce quality chicks.

1. 1.       Hatchery Egg Holding Room Temperature

Temperature in the hatchery egg room should be kept at about 65°F to prevent preincubation embryonic development. When eggs must be stored for a week or longer, it is advisable to reduce egg storage room temperature to 55°F.The types of hatching egg containers being used will influence the amount of time required to reduce egg temperature to the storage room temperature. Figure 38-1 shows the amount of time required to reduce internal egg temperature from 100°F to 65°F with different packing methods. Over four days were required for the proper reduction in temperature to occur when eggs were sealed in cases, while less than one day was needed where eggs were stored on hatchery buggies. This long period required for temperature reduction can be avoided when the eggs are not packed into cases until they have been in the breeder farm egg room at least overnight. Therefore, for transporting eggs in cases , the best practice is to hold eggs in the cooler at least 12 hours prior to placing them in cases.

1. 2.       Hatchery Egg Holding Room Humidity

Moisture from inside the egg is lost through shell pores via evaporation. The rate of moisture loss is controlled in part by relative humidity of the air surrounding the egg. When relative humidity is low, loss is greater than when the relative humidity is high. Relative humidity in hatchery egg storage rooms should be maintained between 75and 80%. Figure 38-2 shows the optimum environmental conditions for storing hatching eggs.

Hatchability will be optimum when hatching eggs are held from one to five days. After five days of storage, hatchability begins to fall. The rate of decline in hatchability increases for each day eggs are held after five days. Long holding periods not only reduce hatchability but also increase the incubation time. For each day of egg holding longer than five days the incubation time will increase about one hour. Figure38-3 shows the effects of egg holding time on hatchability and hatching time. Hatchability falls rapidly after five days of storage and incubation time increases by nearly 10hours after 22 days of storage. Long storage times also reduce chick weight and ultimately market in broilers.

Plastic bags may be used to prevent rapid moisture loss when eggs are stored for long periods. For further preservation of egg quality, flush the plastic bags with nitrogen and seal the bag. Hatching eggs stored in this manner will hatch better than eggs stored for the same length of time but without sealed bags containing nitrogen gas.

Procedure for storing eggs in plastic bags:

1. Disinfect eggs with a good sanitizer.
2. Cool eggs thoroughly to 55°F.
3. Place eggs in plastic bags, flush with nitrogen gas, and seal.
4. Store eggs at 55°F.

1. 3.       Positioning and Turning Eggs During Long-Term Storage

When storing eggs less than 10 days, store them with the large end up. If eggs are held for 10days or more, hatchability will be improved if stored with the small end up. It is necessary to turn them back over with the blunt end up before setting. For long periods of eggs storage, some producers will turn eggs 90 daily. This procedure is questionable, as research shows little benefit from this practice.

1. 4.       Moisture Condensing on the Shell

When eggs are moved from a cold to a warm room, moisture will often condense on the shells which is referred to as egg sweating. This is a particularly hazardous condition since moisture on the shell surface will increase the growth and penetration of microorganisms on the shell. Nest clean eggs that have 50 or fewer bacteria on the shell are not considered a severe contamination risk, unless they sweat. Unfortunately, it is common for moisture to form on the shells after eggs are removed from a cool room, creating a serious hazard. Following are three suggestions that will help reduce egg sweating:

1. If practical, decrease the humidity in the room where the eggs are being moved.
2. Move air across the eggs with circulating fans. A strong airflow will help by evaporating the moisture as it forms. Caution! Never fumigate moisture laden eggs with formaldehyde gas. All eggs must be dry before fumigation.
3. Allow at least four hours after removing eggs from the cool rooms before they are set.

The effects of relative humidity and temperature on moisture condensation on the eggshells is shown in Table 38-6. It can be seen that eggs stored at 65°F are much less likely to sweat than when stored at 55°F. However, if egg do sweat, they are less likely to become contaminated if they have been sanitized by mechanical washing prior to storage.

By Joseph M .Mauldin, from “Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production (5^th Edition)”

Hatching eggs should be picked up from the breeder farm a minimum of twice each week and transported in environmentally controlled egg trucks. For egg pickup and transportation, the main considerations are to prevent cracks and to maintain proper temperature and humidity. When eggs are transported in cases, proper stacking must also be practiced. Most eggs are currently delivered to the hatchery on farm carts or egg racks where cracks can easily occur. Smooth concrete walkways should be provided for cart transfers at farm and the hatchery. The egg truck should be equipped with locks to hold buggies firmly in place to prevent jostling and cracks during transportation. In most cases, the worst jarring eggs receive is on the driveway leading out of the breeder farm. For this reason, it is important to properly maintain breeder farm roads.

Hatching egg trucks must be equipped to control both temperature and humidity. Temperature should be kept at 65°F(18°C) and the relative humidity in a range from 60 to 70%.

Eggs shipped in cases by air freight will generally have an increase in cracks created from additional handling. Another problem associated with any freight is the time required for shipments to reach their destination, and temperature and humidity fluctuations that may occur during shipment. All of these conditions reduce hatchability.

By Joseph M .Mauldin, from “Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production (5^th Edition)”

Poor hatching egg sanitation can be a major cause of lower hatchability and poor chick quality. Every effort should be made to ensure that hatching eggs are kept free from risks of contamination from the time the eggs are laid until the chicks are delivered to growers.

There is no such thing as a sterile eggshell. Even eggs removed from the oviduct will have some bacteria. More bacteria are picked up on the shell when the egg passes through the cloaca where urine and intestinal contents also pass. The bacterial load found on an eggshell at the time of lay ranges from 300 to 500 organisms. After oviposition, every surface the egg comes in contact with can further inoculate the shell surface. In conventional nests, it is very important to maintain clean nest litter to prevent further contamination. Periodically remove fecal material from the litter and add fresh litter. The condition of floor litter will also influence the amount of filth hens bring into nest on their feet. Egg laid on the floor can have thousands of bacteria, even if the shell appears to clean. Table 38-3 shows the relationship between shell surface contamination and subsequent two-week chick mortality. Slightly soiled eggs resulted in more than twice the chick mortality while dirty eggs experienced more than four times the chick mortality compared to nest-clean eggs. After an egg is laid it begins to cool. During the cooling process the egg contents begin to shrink producing negative pressure. This is one of the more opportune times for bacteria on the shell surface to penetrate the eggshell. Therefore, it is imperative that the eggs be moved to cool storage as soon as possible after lay.

The Natural Defenses Against Bacterial Penetration

The egg has many natural defense mechanisms to reduce bacterial penetration. The shell itself provides some protection. Although the normal eggshell will have about 8,000 to 10,000 pore openings, most f the pores are too small in diameter for bacteria to penetrate. Shell quality and pores large enough to accommodate penetrating bacteria. Shell quality and thickness are two very important factors which penetration. Research has shown that shell quality and thickness have more influence than storage time in the rate of bacterial of penetration of eggshell

The cuticle on the surface of the eggshell is the best natural barrier to penetration. However, there is variation in cuticle thickness even on the same egg and the ability of organisms to penetrate varies according to cuticle thickness. The inner and outer shell membranes provide additional barriers. Many times bacteria will penetrate the pores of the shell and get trapped between outer and inner shell membrane and cannot move further. This is no consolation the bacteria can infect the embryo as it pips through these membranes and the shell during hatching. Plus, after hatching, healthy chicks are exposed to these infected membranes in the hatching trays. The albumen provides a somewhat effective control over contamination. The albumen has a high pH in which most bacteria cannot survive. The chalazae contain an enzyme, lysozyme, which has antibacterial properties. The yolk membrane (vitelline) will not prevent bacterial contamination.

Methods of Sanitizing Hatching Eggs

Management that encourages the production of clean nest eggs is probably the best form of hatching egg sanitation. Many companies and producers choose to go the extra step by providing other means of sanitation. Whichever method is chosen, the critical factor is time. Bacteria have been reported to penetrate the shell in less than 30 minutes after lay.

Sanding, buffing, and wiping hatching eggs are not good methods of sanitation. Sanding and buffing will remove at least part of the cuticle resulting in eggs that are more susceptible to penetration. The sanding process itself may actually grind the bacteria further into shell. The general rules for sanding, buffing, or wiping are never exceed one wipe to move material on the shell, and if possible, do not do it at all.

Fumigation with formaldehyde gas is an effective method for sanitizing hatching eggs. The procedure requires generating a 3*dose of formaldehyde in an air tight cabinet or room and expose the eggs for 30 minutes. Formaldehyde provides excellent bacterial kill on contact and it is very easy to fumigate a large number of eggs at a time. One of the disadvantages of formaldehyde fumigation is that in many cases it cannot be administered as soon after lay sa some other methods of hatching egg sanitation. Another disadvantage is that its use is now restricted in the United States by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a possible carcinogen. Other countries, as well, are beginning to restrict the use of formaldehyde. Hatching eggs may also be fumigated with ozone provided by ozone generators. Although ozonation has been shown to be somewhat effective, it is not as effective as other methods of egg sanitation, unless used in conjunction with the perioxy perfusion process which is discussed later.

Hand spraying hatching eggs with a disinfectant is sometimes a moderately effective measure.

Solutions containing quaternary ammonia, formalin, hydrogen peroxide, mixtures of quaternary ammonia, and formalin or phenols have been used for egg sanitation, Some of the drawbacks of hand spraying include low pressure and thus, incomplete shell surface coverage, very little cleaning, and no temperature control of the disinfectant All disinfectants work better when the solution temperature is high. Additionally, those eggs with adhering organic matter are not properly sanitized with hand spraying.

A few decades ago, immersing hatching eggs in a vat with heated disinfectant was used for sanitation. Although the procedure was shown to be very effective it did not work well on a mass basis. Many producers who tried this did not change the solutions frequently enough and cause more contamination than they prevented. The recommended time of immersion was five minutes and there were many instances when the eggs were left in the tank too long resulting in elevated yolk temperatures causing preincubation and lower hatchability. Leaving them in the disinfectant solution too short a time resulted in inadequate sanitation. Lack of proper temperature control of the dip solution was another major drawback. After repeated immersions, the temperature of the solution would fall to ineffective levels. In short, immersion dipping proved to be a very ineffective method, and was even harmful in some case resulting in a bias against hatching egg sanitation in the United States. However, immersion dipping, if accurately monitored, is very effective. There are parts of the industry where it is still in use as an effective sanitation procedure. It appears to be more effective when sanitizing the more expensive eggs such as htose from turkey and primary breeders. The reason for its success in these situations is probably due to the extra care in the implementation that the more expensive eggs require.

Mechanical Spray Sanitation of Hatching Egg

 The turkey industry has been using mechanized spray sanitation for hatching eggs for many years. Mechanical egg washers are able to avoid the pitfalls commonly experienced with immersion dipping and hand spray applications. Earlier models of mechanical egg washers only sanitized one egg at a time and used brushes to aid in the cleaning process, The broiler hatching egg has been a reluctant to try mechanical egg washing because:

1. a bias against wetting the egg with a disinfectant due to earlier problem with immersion dippng

2. washing one egg at a time is not time efficient in broiler breeder flocks where many eggs are produced each day than in typical turkey and primary breeder house.

3. the value per egg of broiler hatching eggs is much less than with turkey and primary eggs

4. the fear of removing the egg’s cuticle protection with the brushes.

The turkey industry favors hatching eggs washing which offers some degree of cuticle removal with the washing brushes. This has also provide for more moisture loss and improved hatchability during incubation. The broiler hatching egg industry has not shown a benefit due to cuticle removal..

Currently, there are several models of mechanical egg washing machines that can wash one plastic flat of eggs at a time and without the use of brushes. These machines have conveyors which are wide enough for plastic flats to pass through the wash and spray cycles. The spray is provided by nozzles placed above and below the egg flats. The temperature of the wash solutions are precisely maintained during washing. The typical hatching egg machine will have at least two liquid tanks, the first containing a wash solution with a sanitizer such as chlorine or hydrogen peroxide, and the second will contain a disinfectant such as quaternary ammonium, phenol, or hydrogen peroxide. In the first tank the wash solution is recycled after filtering and the metering in of an additional sanitizer. In the second tank, there is no recycling, only a fine mist spray of the disinfectant solution.

These machines provide convenient washing for hatching eggs as flats of egg can be sanitized immediately after collection and loaded directly into hatching egg buggies before being moved to the egg storage room on the farm. They work well with both conventional and mechanical nesting systems. Nest clean hatching eggs are passed once through the machine. Very few eggs will be more than three hours old at the time of sanitation, a considerable advantage. Each day, after the last collection of eggs has been run, most of the floor eggs can be salvaged by passing them through once at a slower speed and then a second time at high speed. Floor and dirty eggs showing no adhering debris after washing can be sent to the hatchery as hatching eggs. In a 12,000 hen broiler/breeder flocks field study in Georgia, salvaging most of the floor eggs through mechanical egg washing resulted in an additional case of hatching eggs being sent to the hatchery each week. Floor and dirty eggs are normally sold as commercial eggs with a value of about 5.70 per case while a case of hatching eggs is worth about 37.00 per case. During 40 weeks of production, salvaging an extra case of hatching eggs per week resulted in more than 1,000 in additional net income for the contract grower. The main benefit of mechanical egg washing, however, is not to salvage floor and dirty eggs but to improve sanitation of all eggs and flats entering the hatchery.

In a recent field study using a mechanical egg washer, both nest clean and dirty eggs exhibited reductions in shell surface contamination by more than 99% while hatchability when compared with unwashed nest clean and dirty eggs remained unchanged. Examination of sensitized and non-sanitized eggs when using electron microscopy revealed that very little cuticle loss occurred due to the washing procedure and that yolk temperatures were not elevated.

The main drawback to mechanical egg washing on the farm is expense. For optimum results, a mechanical egg washer would have to be placed in every breeder house. The mechanical egg washer could be used in the hatchery to reduce the expense of purchasing one for each breeder house, but the effectiveness is reduced dramatically because the hatching eggs are a few days old when they arrive at the hatchery and in most instances microbial penetration has already taken place. Some hatching egg buggy washers can be utilized for sanitizing whole buggies of eggs at a time in the hatchery. Again, the problem with this is that sanitation does not occur early enough.

Table 38-5. The Influence of Mechanical Egg Washing on Microorganism Recovery and Hatchability.

Source: Cox, et al., 1994

By Joseph M .Mauldin, from “Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production (5^th Edition)”

In general, hatching eggs with poor shell conditions do not hatch as well as those with good quality shells. Eggs with moderate to severe shell defects should be culled upon collection rather than sending them to the hatchery. Those with minor defects should not be culled in the selection process. It is up to the person doing the selection to make judgment calls as to degree of shell imperfection and whether it should be culled.

Eggs closest to the ovoid shape hatch best.  Excessively long, thin, or completely round eggs do not hatch well. Other defects including wrinkles, hair-line cracks, toe-punches, pointed ends, dark tops, calcium deposits, etc. exhibit reduced hatchability. Table 38-1 shows the results of incubating various classifications of cull-hatching eggs.

Most cull eggs are also more easily penetrated by microorganisms than normal hatching eggs, and if they explode or break during incubation they can contaminate hundreds of other eggs in the incubator environment.

There are many types of defective eggs that should be culled during hatching egg collection at the breeder farm. Their causes are numerous and must be understood in order to reduce the number of cull eggs reaching the hatchery.

Table 38-1 Hatchability of Abnormal Broiler

Breeder Eggs

Source: Brake,1987

1. 1.       Mechanical Factors

Inevitably, some hatching eggs will become dirty, stained, cracked, or punctured in the breeder house. It is essential to follow the good nest management practices given earlier.

1. 2.       Biological Factors

The physiological condition of the hen can affect the quality of the eggs she lays. Stress and

certain diseases affecting the oviduct and ovaries, i.e., bronchitis and IBD, may cause thin or wrinkled eggshells and erratic ovulation. Early maturing pullets lay more defective eggs than when sexual maturity is delayed. And added advantage of delaying sexual maturity is an increase in egg size at the onset of lay. Feed the hens a diet adequate in protein, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin D, and other nutrients. When shells appear thin, calcium may be added in the form of crushed oyster shell or large particles of limestone. The source of calcium is important because of its solubility. If a source of calcium is low in solubility, thin shells may result even though dietary calcium in the ration is sufficient.

The incidence of defective eggs is also influence by heredity. Certain types of defective eggs, such as those produced by erratic ovulation, have a strong genetic basis. Nevertheless, in the most cases good management will minimize the incidence of defective eggs.

When an egg is delayed in the shell gland, two types of defective eggs will be formed: the first egg will be extra-calcified and the second egg will be slab-sided. The slab-sided egg has a circular, smooth area surrounded by wrinkled shell. The smooth circular area is the imprint of the first egg which has been delayed in oviposition. Unfortunately, the extra-calcified egg are difficult to distinguish from normal eggs, and they do not hatch well because of the increased shell thickness which reduces the necessary gaseous exchange capacity between the developing embryo and its outside environment. Discard all slab-sided and extra-calcified egg from hatchery deliveries. To reduce the incidence of this problem, make sure that the hens do not become overweight or unduly stressed.

Erratic Ovulation 

Erratic Ovulation is the major biological factor causing defective eggs. Egg ovulation occurs when more than one ovum or yolk is released from the ovary into the reproductive tract in less than 25 hours.

Occasionally, hens are stimulated to lay eggs before the 20 hours required for shell deposition in the shell gland. When this happens, membranous or soft shell eggs are laid. Double-and triple-yolked eggs are also found when two or three ovarian follicles rupture simultaneously, sending two or more yolks into the oviduct.

1. 3.       Other Types of  Defective Eggs

Body checks.  Body checked eggs occur when the shell is cracked while in the shell gland. In this case, additional shell will be laid down on top of the cracked shell, repairing the egg to some degree before it is laid. The majority of body checked eggs occur when hens are disturbed during the early to middle stages of shell formation when the shell is still quite thin. This usually happens in the late afternoon or early evening. Avoid management practices that disturb hens during this period. Strains of birds that are excitable tend to have a higher incidence of body checks than more docile strains. More body checks may also occur when hens have to jump too high or fly to reach the nest or slats.

Wrinkled shells.  Wrinkled shells are usually the result of a damaged shell gland. A small percentage of wrinkled shells will appear in the flock after an incidence of respiratory infection. Although infectious bronchitis is a respiratory infection, it sometimes localizes in the shell gland. Irreversible damage occurs to the shell gland, and the affected hens will continue to lay eggs with wrinkled shells and odd-shaped eggs throughout the duration of their productive life.

Pimples or calcium deposits.  Pimpled eggs or calcium deposits are another form of extra-calcification, and are the result of “calcium seeding” during shell formation. Severe examples should not be used for hatching.

Over and undersized eggs. Cull all body checked, wrinkled, pimpled, and over or undersized eggs. They are likely to become cracked during handling, and are susceptible to dehydration and contamination. Eggs that are over-or undersized may not quality as defective eggs, however, they should not be sent to the hatchery. Odd cases of defective eggs are sometimes found, such as an egg without a yolk or a normal egg within another shell or membrane. Generally, these will be either over-or undersized, and should be selected out. A hatching egg selection poster has been published that presents color photographs of examples of cull eggs that should be eliminated from hatching egg shipments.

1. 4.       Shell Color and Thickness

In breeds laying brown-shelled eggs, the degree of pigmentation has been correlated with hatchability. The shelled eggs tend to hatch better than those with lighter shells. However, it is inadvisable to routinely remove lighter eggs as they hatch almost as well as dark eggs and they are not liability to sanitation.

Eggshell thickness is also an important factor when considering hatching egg quality. Few eggs with a shell thickness below 0.27 mm will hatch. For best results, the shell thickness should be between 0.33 and 0.35 mm.. Unfortunately, thickness cannot be measured without breaking the shell. For this reason shell thickness cannot be a factor in the hatching egg selection process. However, when problems occur with shell quality it may be advisable to break a sample of eggs to measure shell thickness.

1. 5.       Evaluation of Shell Quality

It has been well documented that poor shell quality adversely affects hatchability. Age of flock, stress, disease, and marginal nutritional deficiencies have strong negative influences on shell quality. Shell quality is typically high in eggs from young flocks, and rapidly declines during the later stages of production. Stressors can include poor management, crowding, temperature outside of the comfort zone, vaccine reactions, improper beak trimming,etc,. Any disease affecting the reproductive tract will also lower shell quality. Restoration of shell quality in a breeder flock may depend on improved management or treatment of disease rather than fortification of rations.

Shell quality may be assessed in several ways. Poorer shell quality is apparent when increased percentages of eggs are found with cracks, rough, or misshapen shells, shells with ridges or sandpaper ends, and body checks. Shell quality can be dressed by measuring shell thickness, breaking strength, deformation, porosity, shell shape, smoothness, and specific gravity.

Testing specific gravity (SG) is not a difficult quality control procedure to implement, and is frequently the test of choice for measuring shell quality. The best compromise between accuracy and time efficiency to obtain reliable estimates of shell quality is to prepare three saline solutions with specific gravities of 1.075, 1.080, and 1.085. The saline solutions may be accurately prepared with the use of a hydrometer. Table 38-2 determines approximate salt and water quantities necessary. The temperature of the solutions and eggs must be maintained at 65°F (18.5°C) to ensure the accuracy of the test. This procedure is the most accurate when freshly laid eggs are used. On average, eggs will lose about 0.001 SG per day of storage, but this is highly variable.

Dip eggs into the 3 saline solutions beginning with the lowest specific gravity; count and remove the number of eggs that float in each solution.

Table 38-2. Amount of Salt Needed to Produce Specific Gravity Solutions

1. Perform SG at  65°F (18.5°C)
2. A hydrometer must be used
3. Distilled water is recommended

For example, if you have 100 eggs and 20 float in the 1.075 solutions, 40 in 1.080 and 40 in 1.085, the average specific gravity is calculated as 1.081.

When an egg dost not float in the 1.085 SG solution, classify it as 1.090. Flock averages below 1.080 generally indicate poor shell quality. In this case, consult a nutritionist and add oyster shell. The age of the hens is the largest determining factor for shell quality with younger hens having better shell quality than older hens.

1. 6.       Cracked Eggs

In a study of commercial hatcheries, it was found that up to 2% (in case more) of all eggs set were cracked prior to hatching. On average, 1.1% were cracked at the time of set and 0.9% were cracked at transfer. Cracked eggs result in a significant economic loss, and therefore, care must be taken when eggs are handled to reduce shell damage. Mechanical transfer machines have been shown to reduce the number of transfer cracks, especially those machines that lift the eggs from the setter flats and place them with the large eng up into the hatcher trays.

1. 7.       Interior Quality

The interior quality of hatching eggs is anther determining factor of hatchability. The average interior egg quality of a flock may be determined by breaking out a sample of freshly laid eggs and measuring the Haugh units. Best hatches are obtained when the average Haugh units exceed 80.The Haugh units decrease during storage because of a loss in albumen viscosity and carbon dioxide and a corresponding increase in pH.

The incidence of tremulous air cells will lower hatchability. Some eggs are laid with tremulous air cells while others develop them when jarred or roughly handled.

By Joseph M .Mauldin, from “Commercial Chicken Meat and Egg Production (5^th Edition)”

1 .Nesting Material

Use enough clean, dry, and mold-free nesting material to avoid cracked and dirty eggs. Nesting material provides a cushion for the eggs and when it is insufficient .many eggs can broken by hens. With wet litter conditions, the nesting material will soil rapidly, and will contaminate the hatching eggs. Wet litter will also reduce air quality and increase respiratory disease. A good practice is to replace or add nesting material as needed during egg collection and to remove wet litter from the floor.

Nesting material should be absorbent, durable, and coarse so that it will not be easily blown or scratched out of nest. Other qualities to look for in nesting material include low in dust, high in porosity, cushioning qualities, and to be inexpensive. Common nesting materials include:  

2. Training Birds to Use Nests

Early training of hens to lay in the nests, whether conventional or mechanical, is essential to prevent contaminate and to reduce the incidence of cracked eggs. Open the nests one week prior to the expected first egg and make sure that there is sufficient padding or nesting material in the nests. Caretakers should walk the slat and litter areas frequently during the first few week of production, remove floor eggs, and encourage hens to move toward  and recognize the nests. Wood shavings or other loose nesting materials may be used in mechanical nests with artificial nest pads to encourage hens to use the nests. These materials should be removed when egg production reaches 25 to 35%. Other training tips include:

1. Locate the lowest perch no more than 27 inches (69cm) above the litter.
2. Place the nests in the house the time pullets are housed at the breeder farm.
3. Put the nesting material in the nests at the time they are first placed in the house. Check the nesting material every two or three days and remove the fecal material. Hens may refuse nests that are soiled, dusty, or dirty.
4. Make certain the nesting material is adequate to provide sufficient cushioning to entice the hens.
5. Provide a well-ventilated breeder house environment so that the nesting material and floor litter remain dry. Also, clean up water spills and repair leaking drinkers at once. Dryness and quality of the litter floor influence the condition of the nest lifer.
6. Provide one nest for every four hens with conventional nests and one nest for every five to seven hens with mechanical nests.
7. Pick up the floor eggs six the eight times per day when the birds first start to lay. The sight of a floor egg is a visual cue to hen when she is searching for a nesting site.
8. Nesting boxes should be checked for stray electrical voltage, especially if they are mechanical nests. The local power company should assist with this testing.

3. Hatching Egg Collection ‘

The frequency of hatching egg collection is very important to maintaining quality. This is especially true in extreme weather (hot or cold) conditions. Most published report that hatching eggs should be collected a minimum of four times per day with conventional nests. However, in practice, most producers collect their eggs only three times per day. The typical flock lays most of it eggs in the morning. In practice, some eggs would have been laid only a few minutes before collection while others may have been in the nests three or four hours. This time difference is important as older eggs may have been subjected to preincubation by subsequent hens which cause variation in incubation time and subsequently hatch time and possibly chick quality. With mechanical nesting, it is typical for producer to run the egg belts almost continuously when most of the eggs are being laid during the morning hours, then run the belts again in mid-afternoon, and finally, at 5:00 p.m. to collect the remaining few eggs.

Hatching eggs are susceptible to contaminate and every effort must be made to reduce this potential. Therefore, it is imperative that people wash and sanitize their hands before collecting eggs from the nests or egg belts. The flats that eggs are place on must also be sanitized and free of organic material.

4. Hatching Egg Containers

Plastic flats are the best hatching egg container for at least two reasons. First, the eggs must be cooled to proper storage temperatures, in the range of 55 °to 67°F (13° to 19°C ), as soon as possible after collection. In plastic flats the eggs are exposed to the circulating air in the storage room and will cool faster than eggs in fiber flats. Second, because eggs have more exposed surface area with plastic flats, they can be sanitized more easily than other types of flats. Plastic flats are ideal for fumigation, mechanical hatch egg washing, and spray sanitizing. In most cases, the flat on which can collected will be used in the incubator. This eliminates labor costs associated with transferring eggs to incubator flats, as well as reduces the opportunity for cracks and breakage.

Paper and fiber flats are readily available in the poultry industry but have weaknesses as hatching egg containers. These flats cannot be sanitized and therefore are a potential source of contamination or recontamination. They can hold dust, dirt, shavings, fecal material, and feathers which are all potential sources of hatching egg contamination. If fiber must be used the must not be refused, but rather discarded after their first use, which normally makes them cost-prohibitive.

Wire baskets have been and are still being used for collecting hatching eggs. However, their use is not recommended as cracks occur when eggs are piled on top of each other in a rigid wire container. Also, egg must be transferred into egg flats for transport to the hatchery, creating another handling resulting in additional cracks. Each time eggs are handled, at least a 15% increase in cracks is expected.

Asia:
China
Mongolia
Nepal
India
Bangladesh
Thailand
Indonesia
Armenia
Palestine
Iraq
Papua New Guinea

Africa:
Egypt
Sudan
Ethiopia
Uganda
Tanzania
Mozambique
Nigeria
Senegal