Print
Hatchery management
Selecting a hatchery location
- Written by Sander Koster
Having made the decision to build a hatchery, finding the right location is a critical first step. Not every piece of land is suitable as a hatchery site - and finding a good location that is fit for the purpose deserves some time and proper investigation, in order to give the hatchery a good start.
Optimizing poultry production from egg to chicken
- Written by Marleen Boerjan
Hatching egg quality and incubation conditions influence broiler performance. It is therefore important to continually optimize every stage of incubation management, based on specific protocols for quality control and best performance.
Read more: Optimizing poultry production from egg to chicken
Optimising hatchery design for peak performance
- Written by Sander Koster
Having chosen a green field site for the new hatchery, it is important first to consider the lay-out of the facility carefully, followed by producing an engineering plan of drains, piping, ducting and cabling.
Starting single-stage incubation
- Written by Marleen Boerjan
Management in a multi-stage hatchery is based on a daily routine of setting eggs according to a strict setting schedule per setter type. The common principle for establishing a setting schedule in a multi-stage incubator is based on the need to transfer metabolic heat from more developed embryos to the less developed, heat-demanding embryos in the early stage of embryonic development.
Modernizing or Expanding a Hatchery
- Written by Sander Koster
When building a new hatchery, we have the freedom to plan exactly what we need, where we need it, right down to laying the groundwork for future expansion. Modernizing or expanding an existing hatchery poses more of a challenge.
Role of cleaning and disinfection
- Written by Gerd de Lange
Because of its central position in the poultry production chain, the commercial hatchery has the power both to stop the spread of pathogens, for example from a Salmonella infected breeder flock, or to intensify a disease challenge, by spreading pathogens to customers or other supplying breeder farms.
Weighing the benefits of automation in the hatchery
- Written by Jan-Peter Eil
A common rationale for investing in hatchery automation has traditionally been to reduce labour costs or to overcome the challenge of recruiting for monotonous, relatively strenuous work and long working days.
Read more: Weighing the benefits of automation in the hatchery
How effective is your cleaning programme
- Written by Gerd de Lange
Cleaning and disinfection are fundamental to effective hygiene in the hatchery. Cleaning can remove up to 85 per cent of micro-organisms, preventing their development by removing their food sources, or ‘dirt’. Any remaining micro-organisms can then be eradicated by disinfection.
Hatcher basket hygiene for a clean start
- Written by Gerd de Lange
The hygiene status of the environment into which chicks are hatched has a direct impact on day-old-chick quality and first week mortality.
Keeping the hatchery free of Aspergillus
- Written by Marleen Boerjan
Aspergillosis is a fungal infection of the respiratory tract in young birds, also commonly known as ‘brooder pneumonia’. In infected birds, the air sacs and lungs show white to yellow spots or lesions. Infected birds gasp for air and have accelerated breathing. Aspergillosis can also result in severe eye (and even brain) infection, which can appear as a yellow cheesy pellet beneath the eyelid. Increased mortality rates of 5 to 50 % may occur within 21 days after the placement of diseased birds.
Hatchery flooring and drainage
- Written by Férenc Elshof
The quality and construction of hatchery flooring can contribute significantly to operational productivity and cost-efficiency.
Load bearing capacity is established from a concrete base layer, reinforced with steel or concrete, depending on the strength and stability of the natural substrate. Building then continues upwards, starting with a sub-base of compacted granular material or lean-mix concrete, followed by a damp-proof layer, insulation, reinforced concrete and a water-tight top finish.
Formalin-free hatching egg disinfection: an achievable goal!
- Written by Gerd de Lange
Disinfecting hatching eggs is a critical control point (CCP) in the poultry production chain, aimed at reducing the introduction of pathogens into the hatchery for the production of healthy day-old-chicks.
Read more: Formalin-free hatching egg disinfection: an achievable goal!
The relevance of Hatchery Climate Control
- Written by Derk Pijnenburg
While optimising climate inside the incubator best supports the needs of growing embryos, accurate climate control elsewhere in the hatchery also makes an important contribution to overall efficiency.
Effective rodent control on breeder farm and hatchery
- Written by Gerd de Lange
Rodents (rats and mice) are documented carriers of Salmonella spp. and therefore present a serious concern for public health. A review of Meerburg et al. (2007) showed infection rates in rodent populations ranging from 0 - 77 per cent.
Read more: Effective rodent control on breeder farm and hatchery
Data analysis: a critical path to improved hatchability
- Written by Marleen Boerjan
In most hatcheries, the routine monitoring of incubation is based on data collected at each stage in the process. This is an important element of specific protocols for quality control and the optimization of hatchery results. For each step in the incubation process, quantifiable criteria have been defined. The hatchability of eggs set is one such quantifiable criterion, defined as the number of saleable chicks hatched from the total number of eggs from a certain batch/flock loaded in one or more incubators.
Read more: Data analysis: a critical path to improved hatchability
Ergonomic benefits in the hatchery
- Written by Marleen Boerjan
The hatchery is generally regarded as a safe place to work, reporting very few incidents when compared with other industries. In practice, that does not mean that working in the hatchery is entirely without risk. A proper regard for Health and Safety in the hatchery requires great care in managing factors such as dust, noise, climate and the use of chemicals, for example.
P.O. Box 2
7038 ZG Zeddam
The Netherlands
