Incubator

The incubation process of eggs requires an incubator for successful hatching. An incubator creates ideal conditions for eggs to grow and hatch into healthy chicks. Choose the right incubator based on your needs. Consider your operation, the types of eggs you want to hatch, and your budget.

Features for Optimal Hatching
When selecting an egg incubator, look for features that enhance the hatching process and increase the success rate of your hatchlings. Our range of incubators is equipped with features that accommodate the specific needs of various types of poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese, and pheasants.

Temperature, ventilation, and humidity control: Our incubators offer precise settings to ensure the ideal environment for hatching eggs.
Automatic egg turning: This feature ensures that eggs are turned regularly, mimicking the natural process and promoting uniform heat distribution.

Egg candler: An integral tool for monitoring the development of embryos within the eggs. This allows you to check the viability of each egg without disrupting the incubation process.

Hatching poultry from eggs is a fun and rewarding experience. You'll need an incubator or choose an "automatic" incubator that controls temperature, humidity and egg turning.

Selection And Preservation Of Eggs
A successful hatch depends on many factors. Choose eggs from breeders that are well developed, well fed and healthy. Consider heritage breeds to ensure broad genetic diversity.

If possible, choose eggs that have not traveled by mail. Why? Because eggs that are closed inside packaging do not breathe and may have experienced excessive travel stress, vibration, and temperature changes.

Do NOT incubate eggs dirty with fecal material, as during incubation the temperature and humidity will lead to the establishment of bacterial flora. This can contaminate all the eggs, causing infections to the embryos and resulting in premature death during hatching.
Choose eggs of normal shape (they must not be elongated, spherical, undulated or with any other malformation).

Set Up The Incubator
Find a suitable location for your incubator. The room should be free from drafts and have an ambient temperature between 68°F–77°F. Do NOT operate the incubator in direct sunlight or near heat sources such as radiators, stoves or fireplaces. The room’s relative humidity must be between 50% and 75%.

Incubate
Once the environment inside of the incubator has stabilized, it’s a simple process to maintain until the chicks hatch. Keep these four important factors in mind:

● Temperature: The most important factor influencing the development of the embryo. Maintain a consistent optimum incubating temperature. Just one degree higher or lower can have a major impact on the hatch rate and the chick’s health.

● Humidity: Check the water level daily and add water as needed. Humidity should be 40% during the first phase of incubation, and 60% in the final days before hatching. For precise control of relative humidity, use a Humidity Pump.

● Egg Turning: At least three times per day, gently reposition the eggs, varying the position of the embryo as much as possible. With an automated machine, movement is managed by a microprocessor, imitating a mother hen rotating her eggs in the nest.

● Ventilation: Do NOT cover or enclose the incubator for any reason. Most incubators are designed to exchange the inside air through built-in vents.

The typical incubation period of most chickens is 21 days. (Normal incubation times for other birds are shown below.)

Hatching
Resist the urge to help with the hatching process! Newly hatched chicks are susceptible to stress and you may cause an injury or accidental death. Prepare the incubator approximately 3 to 4 days before hatching. This process must be carried out quickly to prevent the eggs from cooling too much.

Stop the egg turning motor and gently remove the eggs from the plastic cradle. Handle the eggs carefully while checking them with a candling lamp. Remove eggs that appear to be infertile or contain dead embryos.

Replace the egg cradle trays with the plastic hatching grate. Distribute the eggs on top of the grate and close the cover. Maintain a temperature of 98.8°F for most poultry species. (97.7°F for exotic birds.) Increase the relative humidity to 70%.

Open your incubator as little as possible, especially during hatching! Improper temperature and low humidity may result in premature death due to dehydration and desiccation.
When chicks begin to pip - peck through their shell, do NOT try to help! Don’t worry if it takes the chick several hours to come out of their shell. Chicks should be removed from the incubator when they have dried and their down becomes fluffed. This drying normally takes about 12 hours. Leave the incubator on for a few days after the initial hatches to allow time for laggards.

When it comes to incubators, there is a wide range of options available in the market. Each type has its own unique features and functionalities, catering to the specific needs of different users. Let's dive deeper into two popular types: forced air and still air incubators.

Forced Air Incubators
A forced air incubator is a highly efficient and advanced type of incubator that utilizes a fan to evenly distribute warm air throughout the unit. This constant circulation of air ensures consistent temperature and humidity levels, creating an optimal environment for the eggs to develop. The fan helps to eliminate any hot or cold spots, resulting in a more uniform incubation process.

One of the key advantages of a forced air incubator is its ability to handle larger egg batches. With the fan's assistance, the warm air is evenly distributed, allowing for a higher capacity of eggs to be incubated at once. This makes it an ideal choice for commercial hatcheries or individuals who want to hatch a large number of eggs simultaneously.

Forced air incubators offer precise control over environmental conditions. They often come equipped with advanced temperature and humidity controls, allowing users to adjust and maintain the desired settings with ease. This level of control ensures optimal conditions for successful egg development and hatching.

Still Air Incubators
In contrast to forced air incubators, still air incubators rely on natural convection to circulate air within the unit. Without the assistance of a fan, the warm air rises naturally, creating a temperature gradient within the incubator. This gradient can result in variations in temperature and humidity levels throughout the unit.

While still air incubators may have a lower upfront cost compared to forced air incubators, they require more attention to maintain uniform temperature and humidity levels. Users need to carefully monitor the incubator and make manual adjustments if necessary to ensure optimal conditions for egg development.

Still air incubators are generally more suitable for smaller egg batches. With their simpler design and lower capacity, they are often preferred by hobbyists or individuals who only need to incubate a few eggs at a time.

Egg incubators work by simulating the natural environment created when a hen starts brooding. When a mother does her job properly, the rooster provides the right temperature, humidity levels and rotation needed for the chicks to hatch.

An ideal egg incubator also maintains the ideal temperature and humidity level for the bird species you are hatching and rotates for you. egg incubators also feature a bright display to give you the ability to monitor the temperature and humidity without having to open the lid.

Nanchang Huibing Electronics Co., Ltd. was established in 2018 as a company focusing on the production of high-quality egg incubators and other poultry equipment, providing quality services and technical support. The company's products have been highly recognized by our customers and have a wide range of application fields. Since 2018, our company has its own factory located in Dezhou, Shandong, with a total area of more than 15,000 square meters, and a number of companies to reach strategic cooperation, long-term maintenance of stable supply capacity.