The device and principle of operation of an egg incubator
An egg incubator is a must for every poultry farmer to breed their own poultry. At incubation stations, industrial incubators are used, the capacity of which ranges from 400 to 1200 chicken eggs. In personal subsidiary plots or on small farms, incubators with a capacity of up to 200 chicken eggs are usually used. You can make such an incubator yourself. The principle of operation of a home-made and factory incubator is the same.
The principle of the incubator
To hatch chicks in the incubator, a constant air temperature must be maintained at 37.5 ° C. Air humidity for incubating chicken eggs should be 60% - 65%.
In order for all eggs to warm up evenly during incubation, constant air circulation must be ensured. The incubator has two fans, one of which draws in air from the room, and the other provides heating with a spiral.
Types of incubators
Incubators are single-chamber and double-chamber. Single-chamber stations hold more eggs, but keep the temperature worse. They are suitable for home use, and for industrial breeding of chicks, they use two-chamber incubators. Two-chamber incubators consist of two sections, in one of which there are trays with eggs and lighting, and in the other chamber there are heating elements and a container with water to humidify the air. The two chambers are connected by a pipe through which air enters the egg chamber using a fan.
Incubator device
In the factory incubators temperature and humidity sensors were installed, as well as automatic mechanisms that ensure the movement and turning of eggs. The incubation chamber is equipped with mesh shelves. The cell size is slightly smaller than the size of a chicken egg. As a rule, replaceable mesh trays for eggs of small and large birds are supplied with factory incubators:
- quail;
- guinea fowl;
- turkeys;
- chickens.
Also, in the factory incubators, electronics are installed, which allows you to select the incubation program, temperature regime and the number of turns per day.
Incubator maintenance
Before laying a new batch of eggs, the incubator must be washed. Ventilate the egg chamber during incubation. The more often you check the condition of the hatching eggs and open the chamber, the more fresh air will flow into the incubator.