EGGS

and

OLD NOTEBOOKS

Dr.Elio CORTI Ph.D. & fancier - Eduardo CANI fancier
Strada Doglia San Zeno 12 - 15048 VALENZA AL - Italy

Translated by help of William PLANT
54 Bonar Street - MAITLAND - NSW 2320 - Australia

Do we keep a flavour of antiquity or do we introduce the modern ideas into the fancy? It is not only a question of taste, but of necessity.

If we wish to place eggs in an incubator before they lose their viability for hatching, we must observe particular times: not before 3 days and not after 8-10 days from being laid.

To fill an incubator of 200-250 places at one time, we need many hens. Otherwise we often are obliged to overtake the time for good hatchability. In practice it happens that we should put the eggs in the incubator weekly, therefore this will ensure all eggs are in good hatchable condition.

You may disagree saying that a broody hen may resolve the problem, but a further problem is to have a broody hen available when required. Without doubt we agree that the percentage of hatchability is higher with a broody hen than with an incubator and that the days the nature gives us between the laying and the beginning of the broodyness are different if the mother is a hen or if the mother is an incubator.

If we have few hens and consequently few eggs every day, to resolve the problem that the eggs for an incubator do not become stale and not lose the water inside, we have a solution: an hatching box.

The hatching in an incubator is quite all right if all eggs have been set at same time. It is incorrect to hatch eggs in an incubator in conjunction with eggs they have being set in incubator at different times: in an hatching box the relative humidity should be about 67-77%, otherwise during the incubation may be only 35-45% maximum.

In practice in the hatching box the highest humidity is required for 4 days: from the 19^th day to 22^nd day to wait for all chickens to hatch. There are chickens that hatch early (for example Japanese bantam) and other breeds hatch later (for example thicker shelled eggs). The Japanese Bantams need to dry and can be removed after 24 hours into a brooder, leaving the other eggs to hatch in hatching box.

One purpose of the hatching box is to make room for more eggs to be set in the incubator and the hatching box is independent of the incubator and does not require a fan. However the temperature in the hatching box needs to be thermostatically controlled and should run at 2°C degrees higher than the incubator.

It is not good practice to have different types of eggs (for example duck, turkey, hen etc.) in incubator, but sometimes in practice it is necessary to do so by fanciers with small number of reproductive birds of different breeds.

Now, what do we do in practice supposing that we have an hatching box? If the first use of the year of the incubator is eight eggs, the next 10 eggs, and after we set in incubator other seven eggs and so on, and we make entries in a notebook or in a calendar the dates of setting eggs and the date of when to transfer to hatching box, this is can become confusing if you are dealing with eggs from different species. Each species has different length of time of incubation and when we remove the eggs of geese from incubator to put in the hatching box, the hatching box may be occupied by hen’s eggs hatching.

The hatching box is closed for the cycle of hatching. It isn’t as an oven is used for cooking pizzas which is open. It is as an oven for cooking bread which is filled at one time and is closed. However the hatching box does have adjustable vents to ensure air flow through box and control humidity.

It is a very difficult problem to calculate when the hatching box is clear for next hatch. The computer may resolve this problem in an excellent manner. The computer is designed to calculate this type of informations. To compute it’s to calculate!

From these needs it was born in my mind and in the mind of my collaborator, Eduardo Cani, the idea to have available a program, a software, to substitute calendars or notebooks. The used computer’s language is that of a relational database: dBase IV version 1.5. We have stated that for an hatching cycle the hatching box is occupied during four days, and in these four days you does not disturb the eggs.

We now hypothesise that we have introduced in incubator 15 eggs of hen fist march and that this is the first hatch of the year. Logically the hatching box is available in the right moment, i.e. after 19 days from the beginning of the incubation. The computer will accept the date of the first of march.

If two of march we collect other 10 eggs and we will begin the incubation the 4^th of march after three days of setting of eggs, the computer answers: not! The computer itself will propose the right date: 5^th of march.

Up to this point it’s very simple, but further on it may prove a little more complicated when we have a mixture of eggs for the incubator. In this case the computer’s program will be over assistance.

The title of program I have written is: Eggs. Based on exposed presuppositions, it is divided up into three sections:

Eggs under broody hen

Eggs in incubator

Health treatments

EGGS UNDER BROODY HEN

INPUT OF THE EGGS

The date of the day is free. We should input the quantity, the species, and identify the broody hen with a name or with a number. In the program are inclosed the hatching days for:

Hen - 21

Turkey - 28

Duck - 28

Muskovy - 32

Goose - 29

Mallard Duck - 27

Quail - 16

Guinea Fowl - 27

Pheasant - 26

Partridge - 23

Peacock - 28

UPDATE

All previous data may be modified. Also the date of the hatching start may be modified. This fact is impossible in the section of the incubator, where the start time date is fixed in the moment of the input.

DELETION

Each Breeder is aware that sometime the broody hens are rebellious or crazy, and that sometime the broody hens fall ill or even die before the chickens hatch.

BIRTH

Is divided in the following sections:

Œ Input of the hatches: in this moment is also calculated the hatch’s percentage

Calculations:

Ø monthly: gives and prints the list of the broody hens, the amount of the incubated eggs, the hatches, the hatch’s percentage in relation to each broody hen

Ø annual: as above

Ø graphic representations: it’s possible to obtain an annual graphic regarding each species, with data subdivided monthly

¯ in bars

¯ in line

Ž Report:

Prints a list of data between two chosen dates. The available data are the same as listed in monthly calculations.

Agenda:

With this printed notebook it’s possible to have a clear diary to control the broody hens.

EGGS IN INCUBATOR

INPUT OF THE EGGS

We may tell to the computer of which species they are, the amount and when we will start the incubation. As it happens for the broody hens, are previewed different times of hatch. If you choose a wrong day (in regard of the hatching box to be clear) the computer will suggest the correct day.

UPDATE

We may update only the quantity of the eggs, but not the start nor the species.

DELETION

Useful if we need to break off the hatch because of protracted lack of electricity or because we have decided give way to another species.

BIRTH

As for the broody hen section: input - calculations - report.

AGENDA

This notebook obviously contains much details, because an incubator needs special jobs:

Ø candling: 8^th and 12^th day from the start of hatching

Ø daily moistening of the eggs of the webbed-feet species beginning from the 15^th day of incubation

Ø date when the eggs leave the incubator to reach the hatching box

HEALTH TREATMENTS

The webbed-feet species are not inclosed because only seldom give health’s problems. Instead for fowls, turkeys and peacocks it is better that they are vaccinated.

Our pen lay in the north west of Italy and each geographical site has different problems. According with Dr.Elio MEINI, Veterinary Physician of the Intervet (Milano), we have adopted the following scheme related to the hatch’s day:

Ø 1^st day: Marek’s disease

Ø 8^th day: infectious bronchitis

Ø 14^th day: Newcastle and Gumboro diseases

Ø 30^th day: Newcastle and Gumboro diseases

Ø 40^th day: infectious laringotracheitis, pox, encephalomyelitis

Ø 60^th day: infectious bronchitis

Ø between 90^th and 120^th day: Newcastle disease

The dates of these vaccinations are automatically established by the computer when we input the real date of Marek’s disease vaccination. For our pen and for many Fanciers this date doesn’t corresponds to the day after hatching date because we need the Veterinary prescription and this fact requires too many time. We are Fanciers and the pen is not our profession and we have only the time to look after our fowls daily.

It is possible to delay the Marek’s disease vaccination until the 21^st day from hatch and so, both the hatched chickens under broody hen and the incubator’s chickens are gathered in an unique family which has in common the real date of Marek’s vaccination. So, the chickens hatched first of march are vaccinated together with the chickens hatched within 20^th of march. It happens as at this date all are one day old.

Now we input the real date of Marek’s vaccination: 21^st march. The chickens, scattered with different hatch’s days, are congregated under the same date and are levelled, and from this date they go all together towards following vaccinations. This solution isn’t the perfection, but we need make a virtue of necessity.

Try to believe!

Agenda of the incubator - March 1992

1-3-92

Candle goose’s eggs incubated beginning at 18-2-92