Hatching Best Management Practices

Dan Campeau

Area Specialized Agent – Poultry

Chatham, Lee, Randolph, Moore & Harnett Counties

Resources – Dr.Mike Wineland and NCSU Publications

From the Farm back to the Farm

Breeder Flock Considerations Egg Handling/Storage Hatchery Environment Cleanliness/ The Best Management

Practice Evaluating your Sanitation program The End Product- Healthy Chicks

Breeder Flock Considerations

Age of birds - Younger birds will lay smaller eggs. Older birds will lay larger eggs. Medium to large eggs will produce the best quality chicks.

Make sure Diets are more than adequate for the breeder flocks age and production level.

Vaccine Status- All flocks should be on same protocol. May want to use NPIP protocols as a place to start.

Egg Handling on the farm

Need to collect eggs at least twice per day Need to save only clean eggs. Do NOT store eggs for more than seven

days. Cooler needs to be running at 65 F and 75%

relative humidity. Keep room intake filters clean to decrease

contamination by bacteria or fungi.

Egg Storage: Temperature

Hatching eggs normally stored at temperatures between 12-18º C (54-65º F)

Cools egg - limits embryo development Minimizes bacterial growth

Egg Storage

Optimum storage temperature should be decreased with increased storage time (Mayes & Takeballi, 1984) (Wilson, 1991) 10-12º C (50-54 F) more than 7 days

Egg Storage: Humidity

Humidity 70-80% to minimize water loss

Higher humidity favor mold and bacteria

Air movement has little effect upon additional loss

Egg Orientation and Hatchability

Some evidence that during long term storage that eggs should be turned

Eggs should be set with large end up

Hatch and Embryo Mortality for Different Egg Types

Egg Type Fert. Early Dead

Mid Dead

Late Dead

Hatch /Fertile

Wt. Loss

Normal 98.3 3.9 0.0 4.5 91.6 10.7

Pimpled 93.8 30.0 0.0 12.5 57.5 13.3

Wrinkled 98.4 21.7 0.0 16.7 61.6 11.9

Round 90.0 30.0 0.0 20.0 49.7 12.7

Misshapen 95.2 25.1 0.0 11.9 63.0 13.0

Egg transport from Farm to Hatchery

Transfer of eggs from farm to hatchery. Vehicle needs to have a refrigeration unit so eggs do not get warm while in transit

Trucks need to be kept washed and sanitized between pickups and before returning to hatchery

Hatchery Environment

Building layout Egg traffic patterns Air Flow All in – all out concept Separation from Flock and uninvited

visitors

Hatchery-Building Layout

Thought should be given to traffic patterns from egg entry to chick transport to farm

Have separate rooms for cool storage, setter, hallways (optional), hatchers, chick processing and chick transport rooms

Make sure air flow is correct, i.e., intake is from cleanest part of hatchery to the out flow (into other parts of hatchery). Try to maintain positive air pressure. *Remember that Hatcher and Setter get their Air Intake from their individual rooms that they are in.

Hatchery- Egg Traffic patters

Egg enters hatchery from farm via transport vehicle into Cool/Storage room.

Eggs are transferred to Setter racks. Eggs are then brought up to room temperature in Setter

room that is maintained at 75º F and 50% RH. Eggs are then transferred into Setter for first 17-18 days. Eggs are then moved to Hatchers in a separate room.

Hatching room needs to also be maintained at 75º F and 50% RH.

Hatcher – Egg/Chick Traffic patterns (continued)

Chicks are taken to a separate processing room where they are vaccinated and counted into baskets of 102 birds

Chicks are then taken to Loading area where they are put in climate control vehicles to be taken to the Broiler or End Farm

Cleanliness- The Most Important Best Management Practice.

Need to think about thoroughly cleaning multi stage setters using periodic washings and sanitizing foggers.

If using single stage setters then wash and sanitize between batches of eggs.

In using Hatchers, make sure to contain all organic matter in the room. Thoroughly clean Hatcher and room between batches.

Clean Chick processing area after each use. Cooler, Halls and the rest of the Hatchery building

should be cleaned on a weekly basis.

Cleanliness- The Most Important Best Management Practice.

Chick transfer vehicles should be cleaned and sanitized before and after they are used.

Egg transfer vehicles should be cleaned and sanitized before and after each use.

Loading area needs to be cleaned between hatchings.

Consider having a separate wash area for vehicles away from Hatchery.

Evaluating your total Sanitation program

Hatchability percentages Embryo mortality rates Number (percentage) of rotten eggs in

setter First 4 day post hatching mortality rates of

chicks Results from Bacterial and Fungal cultures

Evaluating- Cultures

Simplest way is to use agar plates. Put them out in different parts of hatchery

building (label them) for 10 minutes. For Bacterial cultures - put them in zip lock

bags and put them in Setters for 2 days. For Fungal cultures put them in zip lock

bags and put them out at room temp for 4-5 days.

Evaluating Cultures (cont.)

Use the following chart to see if you need to improve your cleaning habits.

Setter & Egg Rooms (after cleaning): Number of colonies per air plate

Heavily contaminated7 or more

31 or more

Moderately contaminated4-621-30

Slightly contaminated1-311-20

Clean00-10

RatingMoldBacteria

Evaluating Cultures (cont.)

Use the following chart to see if you need to imp

Use the following chart to see if you need to improve your cleaning habits.

Hatcher & other Rooms (after cleaning): Number of colonies per air plate

Heavily contaminated11 or more

46 or more

Moderately contaminated7-1031-45

Slightly contaminated4-616-30

Clean0-30-15

RatingMoldBacteria

Cleaning supplies

Please see handout.

The End Product- Healthy Chicks

A Healthy Biddy