Mary Allen
When collecting hatching eggs, there are a few things to keep in mind, because not every egg is suitable for hatching. The hatching eggs should therefore meet a number of important criteria.
The chicken egg is a marvel of nature. If you put it in the incubator for three weeks, if it is fertilized, a ready-made creature will hatch, which eats itself from the first day of life and only needs a little warmth to survive. If the chicken egg is not incubated, it is one of the healthiest foods that can be used in many ways. However, if you want to breed poultry, you don’t just collect eggs and put them all in the incubator. Hatching eggs should meet a number of important criteria.
The minimum hatching egg weight is listed in the standard for all breeds. The eggs must therefore reach at least this weight in order to be hatched. Otherwise, they can find good use in the kitchen. Even with bantams, care should be taken to ensure that they perform to a certain extent. If you keep hatching eggs that are too light, you run the risk of consolidating the genetic makeup for eggs that are too small, and that shouldn’t be the goal.
Shape and Color Have to be Right
The situation is somewhat different with eggs, which weigh more than 10 percent more than the minimum weight stipulated in the standard. They shouldn’t do that, they say. This can still be true for one-year-old hens, but perennial hens almost always lay eggs that are much heavier than the maximum 10 percent allowed by the standard. If one were not allowed to put such eggs in the incubator, the recommendation to breed primarily with older and tried hens would be a myth. Experience also shows that chicks from eggs that are too heavy do not develop into overweight animals.
Great is the joy when a hen lays a double-yolk egg. This is not uncommon in young chickens. One would think that would result in identical twins. However, such eggs are usually unfertilized, which is why they are better eaten than fried eggs – that’s very nice for the eye alone.
Most hens lay eggs that are very similar in shape and color. Round, pointed, and deformed eggs belong in the kitchen and not in the incubator. In the case of deformed eggs, in particular, it must be expected that although they are fertilized, a chick will develop in them, which then usually cannot free itself. The disappointment is great – but it would have been a pleasure on the plate.
The Quality of the Shell is Important
You should also pay attention to the shell color because this is also formulated in the standard. If “dark brown with little luster” is required there and the egg is dark brown but shiny, this egg should not be incubated. However, opinions differ on this. And so far nobody has been able to explain what influence the shell color has on the later animal. The aim should therefore be to breed animals that lay standard eggs. The color of the eggshell should be the last of all criteria. In case of doubt, or if it is a particularly beautiful hen that laid the egg, or if too few eggs were laid anyway and all other criteria are met, such an egg can also be placed in the incubator.
But the texture of the shell is important. Hardly any healthy chicks will hatch from eggs with a shell that is too thin or too porous. It is therefore advisable to shear the eggs, i.e. to x-ray them, before putting them in the machine. You can see shells that are too porous very well, and any small cracks can also be seen. Even if such eggs are fertilized and fetuses develop in them, they will die before hatching.
It is not uncommon for eggs to lie in the nest, on which limescale deposits can be seen in the form of small humps. Caution and good observation of the animals are required. The hen could be suffering from infectious bronchitis or mycoplasmosis, two common respiratory diseases. Eggs that have structures and bumps on their shells also suggest the same disease. If fertilization is unsatisfactory and hatching is poor even with experienced breeders, the suspicion is that the animals are suffering from infectious bronchitis.
Gentle Storage and Transport
It goes without saying that heavily soiled eggs do not belong in the incubator. All kinds of pathogens can be found in the feces, which could also infect the other eggs. There are several diseases that are transmitted via the hatching egg. That is why eggs from other people’s stocks should first be disinfected before they are hatched. Washing such eggs is not recommended. This often clogs the pores and makes the egg impermeable to air, preventing a chick from developing inside.
The hatching eggs are stored in a cool place where the air humidity is sufficiently high. However, they should not be stored in the refrigerator. You put them on the spitz in a new egg tray, preferably one made of plastic, which you can wash and disinfect after collecting the eggs. Used humps should be avoided. Because germs can still cling to it. The eggs should then be turned daily, preferably several times, so that the germ disc does not stick to the shell due to moisture loss during storage. You can also tilt the egg trays and then turn the whole tray, which also serves the purpose.
If the eggs are taken to a hatchery, they must be transported carefully. Excessive tremors can tear the hail line, making successful incubation impossible. Before they are placed in the incubator after transport, the eggs should be left for a day so that the inside can stabilize again. And if they are to be put into the machine immediately, then they must not be turned for a day. Before the first eggs are laid, a functional check must be carried out. Is the temperature right? Does the humidity meet the specifications? Are fan and auto turn running? After the breeder has been idle for months, such a check is essential. There are many things to consider when selecting the hatching eggs if you don’t want to be disappointed after three weeks of incubation.