Artificial incubation takes the same amount of time as natural brooding.
Modern incubators are equipped with various temperature sensors, voltage stabilizers and automatic egg-turning systems. There are two types of incubator:
- for home use (these incubators hold a small number of eggs)
- for industrial production
Poultry farms have dedicated rooms for egg incubation, known as hatcheries.
Incubators for chicks are installed in a well-ventilated room with an air temperature of 15–22 °C. Before being set in the incubator, eggs are left for several hours in the room containing it and then placed in the incubation tray (eggs are usually set in the evening so that the chicks hatch in the morning).
Preparing the incubator for setting eggs:
- fill the psychrometer reservoir with distilled water
- set the required temperature (39–39.5 °C for the first 11 days)
- set humidity to a wet-bulb temperature of 29.5–30 °C
- keep air velocity to a minimum
- keep most ventilation openings closed
Begin turning the eggs immediately after setting them in the incubator, starting on the first day.
On day 12 of incubation, lower the air temperature to 38.5 °C and the wet-bulb temperature to 28–28.5 °C while increasing airflow. From this point, begin gradually cooling the eggs to 34 °C each day: switch off the heating for 10–15 minutes at the same time daily. Then switch on additional heating to restore the required temperature over 30 minutes.
During the final stage of incubation, lower the incubator temperature to 38–37 °C and increase the wet-bulb temperature to 30–32 °C. Increase ventilation by opening all air dampers, and stop turning the eggs completely.
Throughout incubation, candle the eggs with an ovoscope to assess embryo development.
Hatching begins when the chick pierces the shell and albumen membranes at the blunt end of the egg, in the air-cell area. The chick then breaks the shell with its beak and cuts around it, dividing the egg into two halves and creating an exit, although it remains inside the shell for a while longer.
Once hatching begins, remove the water tray from the incubator cabinet so that the chick can dry. Remove the chick from the incubator only after it is completely dry.