How to Incubate Poultry Eggs with Hot Water
First, prepare the incubator.
1. Incubation Room: Choose a dry and well-ventilated space that can maintain both warmth and coolness, depending on the size of your hatching operation. Make sure the room is clean and free from drafts or extreme temperature fluctuations.
2. Hatching Bed: Construct a bed that is 2 meters long and 1 meter wide. Surround it with planks or fences about 18 centimeters high to prevent eggs from rolling off. You can use either a single-layer or multi-layer setup based on how many eggs you plan to hatch at once.
3. Hot Water Bags: Use commercially available double-layer agricultural plastic film. The width is usually around 1 meter, and each hatching bed should have a bag that's approximately 4 meters long. Seal the long sides of the bag and fold the short sides to create an opening for replacing hot and cold water easily.
4. Thermometer: Place 3–4 red liquid thermometers on each hatching bed. Position them in different areas—center, left, and right—to monitor temperature accurately.
5. Insulation Materials: Each bed requires about 3–4 kilograms of batting, one cotton blanket, and a white mat cloth that is 1 meter wide and 2 meters long. These materials help maintain a stable temperature and protect the eggs from direct heat exposure.
Second, the hatching process:
1. Placing Eggs on the Bed: Start by laying down a 10–15 cm thick layer of old cotton or hay as the base insulation. Then place a layer of old newspaper on top. Lay the hot water bag flat on the bed and fill it with cotton wool to help insulate it. Next, pour hot water (around 40°C) into the bag until it swells to a height of 12–15 cm. Cover the bag with a white cloth and carefully place the hatching eggs on top. Position the thermometers in the center and at both ends of the bed. Finally, cover the eggs with batting and a cotton blanket for extra warmth.
2. Temperature Control: Monitor the temperature regularly. Adjust it by adding more hot water to the bags or covering the eggs with more layers of blankets. Check the thermometers every 3–4 hours and make adjustments as needed to keep the temperature stable.
3. Turning the Eggs: Begin turning the eggs 12 hours after starting the hatching process and continue doing so throughout the entire period. Turn them every 3–4 hours, especially when checking the temperature. This helps ensure even development of the embryos inside the eggs.
4. Ventilation: After 7–10 days of incubation, especially during winter and spring, ventilate the hatching area once a day. Allow the eggs to air out for a short time and then cover them again once the temperature returns to a safe range (around 33–35°C). Regular ventilation prevents moisture buildup and promotes healthy egg development.
Forehead Thermometer;infrared thermometer:digital thermometer:clinical thermometer
Shenzhen Urion Technology Co., Ltd. , https://www.urionhealth.com