Notes for the Poultry Farmer

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 63, Issue 1, 15 July 1941, Page 66

Notes for the Poultry Farmer

Contributed by Officers — of the ——— Livestock Division

Making a Success of Incubation

SUCCESSFUL poultry farmers usually have a good general knowledge of the various phases of poultry keeping, but it is not uncommon to find some lack of knowledge in one of the various operations, such as incubation, brooding, feeding, or breeding. It is hoped, therefore, that for those whose weak point is incubation this article will supply some pointers which will be of assistance to them in improving their results during the coming hatching season. ■ It must be realised first of all that the health and condition of the breeding stock is of utmost importance. If the birds are overfat or are being fed too much protein it will have a detrimental effect upon the result obtained in hatching. Close attention must, therefore, be paid to the breeding pens. Overhaul Your Machine ' ' At the- end of each hatching season the incubators should be thoroughly

cleaned and everything put away ready for the following season. If this is. done there will be less worry and risk when it comes to setting the machine for the first hatch, quite apart from the fact that the machine will be kept in better order and hence have a longer life. - The whole of the incubator should, however, be thoroughly checked before it is started to ensure that all movable parts are in satisfactory working order, particularly the “heating apparatus. Make sure that the ventilation system is free from' cobwebs. Although many people do not realise it, a ventilator blocked with cobwebs makes a big difference to the hatching results. It is necessary to remove the top of the machine in order to clean the ventilator properly, which is done by taking out all the screws which hold the top down and then lifting it off completely. It is a good plan to run some hot water and washing soda through the pipes to clean out any rust, etc., before

finally filling them. The first step in filling the boiler and pipes is to place blocks under the two legs at the boiler end in order to raise this end 3 or 4 inches, when the water may then be poured into the cap. If this is done and the water is poured in without a stop until the pipes are full there should be no air locks to cause any trouble. When the pipes have been filled, remove the blocks and make the ,machine perfectly level, using a builder’s spirit level from end to endand from back to front. This is most important if satisfactory hatching is to. be obtained. Care of the Lamp - A new wick should be used each season in the lamp, and should be of sufficient length to reach the bottom. Once the wick has been cut and trimmed so that the flame' is round and without peaks, further cutting is unnecessary. It is then only necessary to rub off the char each day with a piece of rag. Rub either to the. left or the right each time, as this will ensure the flame remaining even. Once the height of the flame has been set, the regulation of the temperature should be done by altering the damper whenever necessary. It is advisable to trim the lamp every day, and this operation should be carried out in the morning so that the flame can be watched during the day. This is desirable, as the flame is likely to become drawn and increase in size to some extent after the trimming has been done. 1 Always refill and turn an incubator lamp after turning and cooling the eggs to prevent putting kerosene on to the eggs or egg trays from the hands of the operator. Another important point is to see that the gauge round the burner is kept free from fluff. The incubator should be run empty for about a week to make sure that • it is operating correctly. The Eggs All eggs used in incubation should be carefully selected for size, shape, colour, and texture. No egg should be used which is under 2 oz., which is the absolute minimum. - See that the

eggs are of good shape without any ridges, and that they are the correct colour for the breed. Do. not, for instance, use White Leghorn eggs which are tinted or brown in colour. Select only eggs with a smooth textured shell. An egg which is thin in shell will allow more air to pass through than is desirable compared with the other eggs in the machine. Turning the Eggs Eggs should not be turned until the third day after setting, and then twice daily until the eighteenth day. Care should be taken during very cold weather not to have the eggs out of the machine at turning time longer than is absolutely necessary. Obviously, this precaution is not necessary where the incubator room temperature is at a reasonable level, and the best incubator rooms are those which are least affected in temperature by outside conditions. Every care should be taken when turning during the first week to prevent the eggs, from being jarred, as the embryo is . very delicate and jarring may injure or kill this delicate organism. Cooling the Eggs As with all other directions in the handling of incubators, no hard and fast rules can be laid down on the length of time to cool eggs. For the first week very little cooling is re—usually the time it takes to turn the eggs is sufficient—and during the second week the time may be increased to 20 minutes, and the third week to approximately 30 minutes each day. These times apply only for one cooling each day, which should be done in the morning; in the evening the eggs merely require to be turned and placed back in the machine. These amounts of cooling, however, must only be taken as a guide, as the weather and the condition of the air-cell must always be taken into consideration. Moisture and V entilation Only a competent man can., work these two items to the best advantage, and experience is the only teacher. Usually, moisture should be kept in the moisture tray for the first five to seven days and then removed, and no more should be required until , the machine is closed up for hatching on the eighteenth day. . If it is found that the air-cell does not dry down fast enough, then it is advisable to reduce the amount of moisture supplied. Aim at increasing the air-cell until it occupies fully one-quarter of the egg at the eighteenth day. Observation, plus common sense, tells the poultryman the best method of working his machine having regard to local conditions.

Hatching On no account must the incubator be opened after it is closed for hatching, as this will stop the rest of the chicks from coming out. Some people dislike seeing chicks lying on their backs half out of the egg and open the machine to help them. This is a very foolish policy, as the result will be a poorer hatch just for the sake of one or , two chicks.

T emperature The machine should be run empty for approximately one week to make sure that it is regulating correctly. The temperature .of the machine when empty, with the thermometer on the tray,' should be 100 degrees, and once the eggs are put in and have heated up, the thermometer should register 102 degrees. This should be kept constant for the first week and then in-

creased to 103 degrees for the remainder of the time—that is, two weeks. If the temperature is allowed to drop and is not corrected, the hatch will be late and consequently will be poorer on that account. Care must be taken to see that the bulb of the thermometer is suspended not more than 1 in. above the eggs in the tray. . Testing Eggs The eggs should be tested for cracks or blood spots before being put in the incubator, and twice during incubation. The first test is made about the seventh to tenth day, when all infertile eggs are removed, and the second at the sixteenth day, when any dead germs are taken out. The term “infertile” when applied to the first test means any eggs which have not been fertilised. Such infertile eggs will appear to be clear when placed before the testing lamp except for a floating shadow, which is the yolk. At the second test the egg with a dead germ will be . quite easy to pick when compared to a live germ, which will easily be seen to be “jumping” if the egg is given'a gentle twist. Furthermore, dead germs are obviously undeveloped as compared with the live embryos. ' Holding Eggs The longer eggs are kept before incubation the poorer will be the hatching result, and for that reason the eggs should not be kept longer than ten days at the most. All eggs which are being kept for hatching , should be stored at a temperature of between 50 degrees and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and should not be exposed to a draught, as this causes excessive evaporation of moisture from the eggs. If eggs are to be stored up to ten days, they should be turned once per day. Close of Hatch Once it is seen that the eggs have finished hatching the machine should be opened, the unhatched eggs removed,' the moisture tray drained, and the ventilators opened wide. A piece of string should then be tied to each end of the incubator so that it runs along the front of the doors and, with the doors unlatched, holds them open about one inch. This will allow the chicks plenty of fresh air, and will aid the drying out of the down on their bodies. - Should any reader desire further information on incubation, inquiries should, be addressed to the Poultry Instructor for the district at the Department of Agriculture. Instructors are always willing to help in any way,' whether by correspondence or by a personal visit.

—W. L. JOURDAIN,

Poultry

Instructor, Dunedin.