Parentstock//Management Guide
Insufficient water supply: Water consumption rises dramatically with increasing ambient temperatures as illustrated in the table below. If insufficient watering space is available, or if the watering system or supply is insufficient to meet maximum demand, fertility and Âproduction can be drastically reduced. Impact of House Temperature on Water Consumption* Maximum Daily House Temperature* (°C)
Liters of Water Consumed/ 1000 Birds/Day
5
154.4
10
165.8
15
176.4
20
200.6
25
252.8
30
335.4
35
406.9
* From M. O. North and D. Bell, Commercial Chicken Production Manual, 4th Edition, 1990, p. 333.
High bird density. Overstocking of facilities may result in increased social pressure and reduced fertility. Mite and lice infestations. Severe infestations of parasites will reduce mating activity and therefore fertility. Litter and floor problems. Wet litter and splinters on slats may result in sore feet and reduced mating activity. Disease problems. Diseases may affect males and females in a flock, resulting in fertility loss due to reduced mating activity as well as increased early embryonic mortality and/or loss of hatchability due to poor shell quality and/or internal egg quality.
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Hatchery Tips Incubation Times Length of incubation for eggs produced by “Brown Nick” parent stock and stored from one to five days require the following incubation periods: Age of the Breeder Flock at Lay (Weeks)
Length of Incubation for 1 to 5 day-old Hatching Eggs*
< 30
21 days plus 6 hours
30 – 50
21 days plus 3 hours
> 50
21 days plus 6 hours
Length of incubation for eggs produced by “White Egg” parent stock and stored from one to five days require the Âfollowing incubation periods: Age of the Breeder Flock at Lay (Weeks)
Length of Incubation for 1 to 5 day-old Hatching Eggs*
< 30
21 days plus 12 hours
30 – 50
21 days plus 9 hours
> 50
Add an hour for each 5 weeks over 40 weeks of age (Example: 21 days plus 12 hours at 65 weeks of age)
* Season, hatchery location, type of equipment and incubation temperature affect the hatching time so the individual hatcheryman will have to adjust the above times to fit his own conditions.