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Incubated eggs should be candled 2 or more times. The first candling should be done on the 5th and 7th day to check for fertility. If they are fertile blood veins will be seen. If they are not, they appear clear. The second candling is done on the 18th day to confirm the presence of a chick. An egg with a living embryo clearly shows a large section containing the embryo and a smaller clear section, containing the air space.
Methods of Incubation
Egg incubation means putting an egg in a place where the right conditions for embryonic development are provided so that a chick is ultimately hatched from the egg. For chicken eggs, these conditions must be provided for 21 days.
How are incubation eggs selected?
Eggs for incubation are selected on the following basis:
Eggs that;
Are fertilized
is neither too small nor too large
are clean
have no cracks on the eggshell
are less than seven (7) days
are from breeder birds with a good cock-hen ratio.
are stored under low temperature below 23.90C.
There are two main methods of incubation. These are:
Natural incubation
Artificial incubation
Let us briefly look at each method starting with the natural incubation.
A. Natural Incubation
In natural incubation, you choose a broody hen that is large enough to cover the eggs and thus keep them warm. The hen should be healthy and preferably vaccinated, with a good brooding and mothering record. The signs of broodiness are indicated when the hen stops laying, remains sitting on her eggs, ruffles her feathers, spreads her wings and makes a distinctive clucking sound. Brooding may be induced with dummy eggs.
About 10-15 eggs are adequate to sit on. More than 15 eggs leads to low hatchability. Allow the hen to sit in a dark, vermin proof, simple laying box or quiet place for the 21 days. Use nesting material, such as, dry grass, sawdust and wood shavings to line the nest. The hen warms the eggs and turns them regularly to ensure even heating until they hatch. Figure 3.9 below shows an illustration of brooding hens.
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Figure 3.9: Brooding hens
Factors to consider during natural incubation
You should consider the following factors during natural incubation:
The broody hen should be dusted with appropriate insecticides to rid her of parasites itchy parasites often cause hens to get up and abandon eggs;
Provide dry grains with grit, greens and water for the brooding hen;
Remove any broken eggs;
Wash eggs that get soiled (dirty) using a clean cloth soaked in warm water;
Ensure no egg is left out in the cold by providing less than 15 eggs per hen;
After the eggs hatch, you should move mother and chicks to a new clean place.
Advantages of Natural Incubation
The natural incubation method has the following advantages:
A small-scale farmer who cannot afford an incubator can multiply his flock using this method;
It is less laborious as there is no need of turning the eggs and checking the temperature;
It does not require maintenance cost;
It requires little skill.
Disadvantages
Natural incubation has a number of disadvantages. These are:
Only a few chicks can be hatched at a time per hen;
The farmer cannot plan when to incubate;
The availability of broody hen sitters is not always possible.
B. Artificial Incubation
There are many commercial artificial incubators of varying capacities. Most depend on electricity, but some use gas or kerosene for heating. All use a thermostatic switching device to keep the temperature constant within one (1) Celsius degree. The correct humidity is usually maintained by having a pre-determined surface area of water appropriate for each incubator chamber.
Why is it necessary to turn eggs during incubation?
Turning eggs during artificial incubation is important because of the following reasons:
To stop the embryo from sticking on the inner shell membrane;
To enable the embryo utilize nutrients efficiently;
To enable even distribution of heat inside the egg.
How are eggs set in an incubator?
Eggs are set with the large end facing upwards. This part of the egg contains an air sac, which carries oxygen to the chick during the hatching process. See figure 3.10 for a photograph of an artificial incubator.
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Figure 3.10: Artificial incubator with eggs set with large end facing downwards
.
You have now come to the end of this section on incubation practices. Before you move on, complete the following activity.
You have now come to the end of this unit on poultry breeds and incubation. It’s
Activity 3.2
Incubation Practices (Time: 15 minutes)
1. Which of the following sign tells you that an egg is fertilized during candling? Tick the correct answer.
A ring of blood around the embryo
Visible blood veins with a dark spot in the centre
A dark cloud around the centre of the egg
2. Which of the following eggs are NOT suitable for incubation? Tick the correct answers
Eggs more than 5 days old
Fertilized eggs
Eggs with abnormalities such as blood spots or double yolks
Eggs with smooth shells
Fertilized eggs
Cracked eggs
3. What is the difference between natural incubation and artificial incubation? Write your answer in the space provided below.
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now time for you to review what you have learnt.
Unit Summary
In this unit we have discussed the various poultry breeds found in Kenya. We noted that there are mainly three types, that is, indigenous chicken, exotic layers and broilers and hybrid chicken. We also looked at incubation practices and examined the two methods of incubation used in Kenya and their advantages and disadvantages. We also discussed the factors to consider during incubation.
In the next Unit we shall discuss how to manage poultry from the minute they hatch.
Unit 4
Poultry Management
Introduction
Welcome to the fourth unit in our course on poultry management. In the last unit
you learnt about the different chicken breeds available in Kenya and the three
poultry production systems used by farmers. In this course we shall discuss poultry
management. We shall look at the various methods of brooding chicken, the
requirements of an artificial brooder and how to rear pullets, layers and table birds.
Unit Objectives
By the end of this unit you should be able to:
Describe the methods of brooding chicken
Describe the general broader management of chicks
Apply the appropriate brooder management practices for pullets, layers and
table birds
Conduct routine poultry management activities, such as cleaning and
disinfection, debeaking, pasting, detoeing, vaccination and culling.
Section 4.1: Methods of Brooding Chicken
In this section we shall discuss the meaning of brooding and the methods of brooding
chicken. Before we start, think about the meaning of brooding and then complete
the following activity.
Activity 4.1
Meaning of Brooding
Write down the meaning of brooding in the space provided below
Compare your answer with what you read in the following section.
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Brooding is the rearing of chicks from 1 day old till the time they are ready to leave the brooder at 8 weeks. Chicks are precocial, that is, they are able to walk and feed themselves within hours of hatching. However, their bodies are not able to regulate temperature properly for the first two weeks of life. Brooding provides chicks with the necessary warmth, food and water and helps to prevent chick mortality and achieve maximum growth.
There are two main methods used for brooding. These are:
Natural brooding
Artificial brooding.
Let us look at each method in further detail starting with natural brooding.
Natural Brooding
In nature, chicks hatch after 2 to 4 weeks of incubation by the hen. The hatched chicks provide the stimulus to the hen to change her work from incubating eggs to brooding the young. This method of brooding chicks is suitable if you want to raise a few chicks. The brooding hen provides the chicks with warmth. An average hen can brood up to 15 or 20 chicks depending on her size and the weather conditions. Some hens can easily adopt chicks hatched by other hens. The hen stays with the chicks until they are old enough to feed on their own.
During natural brooding, you should provide food and water for the hen and the chicks. During the 1st week feed the chicks with small quantities of feed frequently, for example, every 2 hours. The feed should consist of chick mash mixed with water or milk to a crumbly consistency. Feed the hen with growers mash and take care to ensure that the chicks do not get access to the hen food. Provide both the chicks and hen with clean water.
You should also spray the cage regularly to eliminate mites and other pests. During the 1st week, give them vaccination against Mareks disease. If you are using a cage or fold, you should move them frequently to avoid parasitic infestation or a disease outbreak
Disadvantages of Natural Brooding
Many broody hens are required for brooding a large number of chicks;
Brooding is not frequent among many laying strains thus natural brooding is not practicable for large poultry.
Artificial Brooding
Artificial brooding becomes necessary when brooding hens are not available or when a large number of chicks are being raised. In this method the chicks are kept in a structure (brooder) in which food and other requirements for their growth are provided. The chicks remain in the brooder for 6-8 weeks after hatching.
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Requirements for an Artificial Brooder
The following are the requirements for an artificial brooder.
1. Litter: this is usually in the form of wood shavings. It should be spread on the brooder’s floor and be able to maintain warmth and absorb moisture.
2. Fresh air: Holes for ventilation should be made on the walls of the brooder to allow gaseous exchange. However the holes should not allow drought into the brooder.
3. Heat source: You can provide heat from an electric bulb, charcoal burner, lantern or a gas burner. When using a charcoal burner, lantern or gas burner, you should place a wire guard around the heat source to prevent the chicks from burning when they crowd around it.
You should ensure that the brooder maintains the following temperature:
1st week – 32o C – 35o C
2nd week – 29.7 oC – 32.2o C
3rd week – 26.6 oC – 29.7 oC
Maintain the temperature above the floor at 32o C for the first week and then lower it by 4o C every week up to the fourth week. If the heat is withdrawn at once the chicks overcrowd at one point of the brooder and this results in several chicks dying. Check the temperature using a thermometer and observe the reaction of the chicks to the heat. Figure 4.1 below shows the behaviour of chicks under different brooder conditions.
Figure 4.1: Behaviour of chicks under different brooder conditions
As you can see in Figure 4.1 the chicks respond to changes in temperature and draught in the following ways:
At high temperature the chicks move away from heat source
At low temperature the chicks crowd around the heat source
Normal or optimum temperature
Draught from one side
Too cold
Very hot
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At normal or correct temperature the chicks are evenly spread in the brooder
If there is drought from one side the chicks crowd in one corner.
4. Light: the brooder should have enough light to allow chicks to see food and water. You should use a dim or dull light as bright lights can cause blindness in the chicks and influence toe pecking.
5. Feeders: make sure you have a sufficient number of feeders so that the chicks can feed without overcrowding. Clean them every morning before feeding the chicks to avoid infection. The design of the feeders should ensure that the chicks do not contaminate the feed with their droppings. The various types of feeders are shown in figure 4.2 below.
Linear chick feeder Tube feeder
Figure 4.2: Types of feeder.
6. Drinkers or Waterers: provide the chicks with clean and safe water and ensure that they do not step on the drinker or defecate in the water. The watering containers should have pointed tops to discourage the chicks from perching on top. Figure 4.3 below shows a variety of drinkers used in the brooder.
Figure 4.3: Waterer/Drinker
7. Corners: most brooders are round so that there are no sharp corners. Corners encourage overcrowding and suffocation. If your brooder has sharp corners, you should fit cardboards at each corner to round it up.
We hope you now understand the two brooding methods used by farmers. Next let
