What temperature should be in the incubator?

For successful breeding of young poultry, it is not enough just to choose the right eggs. Even the best material can be unsuitable for further rearing of сhicks if the incubator does not maintain the desired temperature.

In modern incubators, optimal conditions are maintained automatically. The trays can be rotated up to 12 times a day. The day before hatching, the eggs are removed from the incubation section and placed in special hatching cabinets, where they do not need to be turned over.

It is important to maintain the correct temperature in the incubator. If it is too low, the сhicks may have developmental problems. If the temperature is too high, the organs of the сhicks will develop faster, which will lead to their death. If careful heating is necessary immediately after laying eggs, then by the end of the process (at this time, metabolic processes slow down, and the Chicks have their own physiological heat), the temperature can be reduced.

It is equally important to maintain the permissible humidity in the incubator, which directly affects the temperature of the eggs and the evaporation that comes from them. When air enters the сabinet, it is heated, and after significantly reducing the moisture level, then you may need additional humidification.

This is important!

Until the eggs are transferred to the incubator, they must be kept for some time in a warm room where the air temperature is 18-22 degrees Celsius. Do not immediately transfer eggs from a cool room to an incubator. It is advisable to lay eggs in the afternoon, with the sharp end down.

Maintaining the right temperature in the incubator

Many poultry breeders claim that the same temperature should be maintained throughout the incubation period. But there is an alternative opinion on this point. After laying eggs for four days in the incubator, you need to maintain the temperature to 38.3 degrees сelsius, and the humidity level – at least 60 percent. The next 6 days, you need to gradually lower the temperature in the incubator to 37.6 degrees сelsius. Humidity, respectively, should decrease to 55 percent. From the 11th day until the eggs are transferred to the hatching compartments, the temperature must be set at 37.2 degrees сelsius, and the humidity can be lowered to 50 percent.

Before the eggs are transferred to the hatchery, they are turned over several times a day. They are transferred to the output cabinets after 20 days. Eggs in this case should be laid not too tightly in a horizontal position. The temperature should reach 37 degrees сelsius. Humidity should be increased to 60-65 degrees. To increase the humidity level in the output сabinet, you can put trays with water.

It is not allowed to overheat eggs in the hatch compartment, so as not to harm the developing embryos. To do this, you should monitor the temperature every three hours. If the temperature in the incubator is higher than it should be, it is urgently necessary to reduce it and immediately cool the equipment to 33 degrees сelsius. You must restore the correct conditions for withdrawal within 40 minutes.

It is extremely important to maintain the desired temperature in the summer, especially when the air warms up to +30 degrees сelsius outside. If the weather is too hot, it is necessary to cool the eggs twice a day directly in the incubator, setting the trays strictly in a horizontal position.

During the incubation period, eggs require a sufficient amount of fresh air, due to the fact that during this period they emit a large amount of carbon dioxide. At the first stage of incubation, you need to reduce the intake of fresh air, and at the second stage – to increase. Maximum air is needed in the last few days of the incubation period. It is extremely important to observe the above rules, otherwise the сhicks may die.