Product Description:
The main purpose of an egg incubator is to hatch eggs when there is no hen present or when there is not a safe area for the chicken to nest, such as in an industrial farm with battery cages (Adid, 2008). An egg incubator is a plastic dome or rectangular box used to hatch chicks from eggs. The incubator has clear plastic viewing window to observe the eggs in order to remove them from the incubator once they have hatched. A heating light is attached to the top of the incubator to provide warmth to the developing eggs for an average of 21 days at a constant temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. (Upson, 2016).
The common structure of an industrial egg incubator is shown in (fig 1). The incubator has a built-in fan to circulate the heat, and a temperature gage to either raise or lower the temperature based on the external temperature surrounding the incubator. Egg incubators range in size. Small incubators can hold up to seven eggs at a time and are used for single backyard farms. Medium-sized incubators can hold around 48 eggs and are used for larger poultry farms in rural areas. Lastly, large incubators can hold hundreds of eggs at a time and are used for corporate poultry farming (Chicken Eggs DIY, 2016). Incubators come as manual or automatic. The automatic incubators are preferable since a computer turns the eggs at a specific time twice a day rather than the farmer turning each egg by hand (Chicken Eggs DIY, 2016). Incubators have shelves in order to maximize the space and fit more eggs at one time. Shelving also gives the chicks room to move around once they have hatched. Attached to the shelves are plastic carton-like holders to hold the egg in place so the egg can develop properly and the embryo is not harmed. (Upson, 2016)
References
Adid, Abu 2008. Development of a Smart Egg Incubator System for Various Types of Eggs.
Universiti of Malaysia Pahang [online] Available from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/35360133.pdf (accessed 20 November 2016)
Chicken Eggs DIY, 2016. How to choose the right Incubator and eggs for hatching. [online]
Available from http://chickeneggsdiy.com/buyers-guide/ (accessed 20 November 2016)
Upson, Margo 2016. What is an Egg Incubator? Conjecture Corporation [online] Available from
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-egg-incubator.htm (accessed 26 November 2016)
The main purpose of an egg incubator is to hatch eggs when there is no hen present or when there is not a safe area for the chicken to nest, such as in an industrial farm with battery cages (Adid, 2008). An egg incubator is a plastic dome or rectangular box used to hatch chicks from eggs. The incubator has clear plastic viewing window to observe the eggs in order to remove them from the incubator once they have hatched. A heating light is attached to the top of the incubator to provide warmth to the developing eggs for an average of 21 days at a constant temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. (Upson, 2016).
The common structure of an industrial egg incubator is shown in (fig 1). The incubator has a built-in fan to circulate the heat, and a temperature gage to either raise or lower the temperature based on the external temperature surrounding the incubator. Egg incubators range in size. Small incubators can hold up to seven eggs at a time and are used for single backyard farms. Medium-sized incubators can hold around 48 eggs and are used for larger poultry farms in rural areas. Lastly, large incubators can hold hundreds of eggs at a time and are used for corporate poultry farming (Chicken Eggs DIY, 2016). Incubators come as manual or automatic. The automatic incubators are preferable since a computer turns the eggs at a specific time twice a day rather than the farmer turning each egg by hand (Chicken Eggs DIY, 2016). Incubators have shelves in order to maximize the space and fit more eggs at one time. Shelving also gives the chicks room to move around once they have hatched. Attached to the shelves are plastic carton-like holders to hold the egg in place so the egg can develop properly and the embryo is not harmed. (Upson, 2016)
References
Adid, Abu 2008. Development of a Smart Egg Incubator System for Various Types of Eggs.
Universiti of Malaysia Pahang [online] Available from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/35360133.pdf (accessed 20 November 2016)
Chicken Eggs DIY, 2016. How to choose the right Incubator and eggs for hatching. [online]
Available from http://chickeneggsdiy.com/buyers-guide/ (accessed 20 November 2016)
Upson, Margo 2016. What is an Egg Incubator? Conjecture Corporation [online] Available from
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-egg-incubator.htm (accessed 26 November 2016)