Cooling at the breeder farm
LOOK-THINK-ACT
The process of cooling towards the physiological zero already starts at the breeder farm. So, in effect, the success of the incubation process has already been determined partially at this point.
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Packing If the eggs are packed directly into setter trays, select and process the eggs immediately after collection. If they are packed in boxes, make sure the eggs have cooled to storage temperature first. Otherwise, they will cool too slowly and embryonic development will continue but at the wrong pace.
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Tray type affects cooling The type of tray the eggs are supplied on affects the temperature and variations in embryonic development. Eggs cool best on plastic trays or setter trays as these allow the air to circulate more freely between them. Eggs in the centre of paper egg flats/pulp trays and in the middle of a stack of six egg flats cool down slower because the paper has an insulating effect and obstructs the movement of air.
This thermal image shows recently collected, warm eggs placed underneath eggs that have already been collected. This is an incorrect loading method. Because heat rises, the heat of the eggs placed lower down heats the eggs above. Load the trolley starting from the bottom to ensure cooler eggs stay cool.
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Has this trolley been loaded correctly?
Cooling is a very slow process in warm conditions. In warm climate zones or during periods of hot summer weather, the eggs should be collected more frequently and taken to a cool storage area promptly to stop the cell division process.
4. E gg h a n d l i n g a n d q u al i ty
Eggs on paper egg flats cool slower than eggs on plastic trays. Paper trays are often used for export purposes due to their light weight, low price and because they are single-use. It is important that the eggs have cooled sufficiently before they are stacked on paper egg flats.
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