Duck Incubation Process
I. Egg Arrival and Manual Egg Picking & Loading
Section titled “I. Egg Arrival and Manual Egg Picking & Loading”1.1 Egg Reception and Inspection
Section titled “1.1 Egg Reception and Inspection”After the hatching eggs arrive, verify the source, breed, quantity, and batch information of the eggs, understand the storage and transportation conditions of the eggs, and check whether the egg trolleys and egg trays are damaged and whether there is obvious collision of the hatching eggs.
1.2 Manual Screening
Section titled “1.2 Manual Screening”Conduct a manual initial screening of the hatching eggs, removing broken eggs, cracked eggs, deformed eggs, rough-shelled eggs, and severely contaminated hatching eggs, to ensure the quality and uniformity of the hatching eggs as much as possible.
1.3 Loading and Pre-warming
Section titled “1.3 Loading and Pre-warming”Load the qualified hatching eggs into egg trays, place them on egg trolleys, and mark the batches clearly. Arrange appropriate pre-warming according to the storage conditions of the hatching eggs and subsequent incubation processes (especially in high-latitude and cold regions) to reduce temperature changes caused by environmental changes.
II. Egg Washing Machine Cleaning and Disinfection
Section titled “II. Egg Washing Machine Cleaning and Disinfection”2.1 Preparations Before Washing
Section titled “2.1 Preparations Before Washing”Check the spraying, circulation, water supply, and drainage systems of the egg washing machine to confirm normal equipment operation. Prepare cleaning or disinfecting solutions according to established processes and verify the usage requirements of the chemicals.
2.2 Hatching Egg Cleaning
Section titled “2.2 Hatching Egg Cleaning”Send the egg trolleys into the egg washing machine in the prescribed order, and remove dirt on the eggshell surface through spraying and circulating cleaning. During the cleaning process, observe the cleaning effect and equipment operation to avoid collisions of egg trolleys and damage to hatching eggs.
2.3 Post-cleaning Treatment
Section titled “2.3 Post-cleaning Treatment”After cleaning, perform draining, rinsing, or subsequent disinfection treatment according to the chemicals used and process requirements. Record the replacement of cleaning solutions, chemical usage, and abnormal situations to avoid secondary contamination of hatching eggs.
III. Egg Air Drying and Preparations Before Setting
Section titled “III. Egg Air Drying and Preparations Before Setting”3.1 Egg Air Drying
Section titled “3.1 Egg Air Drying”Send the cleaned egg trolleys to the designated area for draining and air drying; if using ventilation inside the incubator to blow dry, follow the operating requirements of the corresponding equipment. Proceed with subsequent setting operations after the eggshell surface is dry.
3.2 Incubator Inspection
Section titled “3.2 Incubator Inspection”Before setting, check the fan, heating, humidification, turning, ventilation, and control systems of the incubator to confirm normal equipment operation and that the internal cleanliness meets requirements.
3.3 Setting Preparations
Section titled “3.3 Setting Preparations”Verify the hatching egg batch, quantity, egg trolley number, and setting plan, and make relevant records before setting.
IV. Setting and Incubation Process Management
Section titled “IV. Setting and Incubation Process Management”4.1 Setting Operation
Section titled “4.1 Setting Operation”Send the egg trolleys into the tunnel incubator according to equipment regulations, confirm that the egg trolleys are in place and the turning detection signal is normal, close the machine door, start the corresponding incubation program, and record the setting time and the number of hatching eggs.
4.2 Temperature and Humidity Management
Section titled “4.2 Temperature and Humidity Management”Control temperature and humidity according to the duck breed, incubation stage, and equipment process requirements, regularly observe the display values and change trends of the control system, and maintain a relatively stable incubation environment.
4.3 Turning Management
Section titled “4.3 Turning Management”Perform regular turning according to the incubation program, check whether the turning mechanism operates normally, and avoid situations such as turning stagnation and egg tray jamming.
4.4 Daily Inspection
Section titled “4.4 Daily Inspection”Regularly check the operating status of the incubator, temperature and humidity changes, turning conditions, and equipment alarm information, investigate and handle abnormalities in a timely manner, and record relevant situations to provide a basis for subsequent incubation effect analysis.
V. Candling and Embryonic Development Inspection
Section titled “V. Candling and Embryonic Development Inspection”5.1 First Candling
Section titled “5.1 First Candling”Perform the first candling according to the time specified in the incubation process, observe embryonic blood vessels and development, identify infertile eggs and early dead embryos, and re-check hatching eggs that cannot be clearly judged.
5.2 Intermediate Sampling Inspection
Section titled “5.2 Intermediate Sampling Inspection”Conduct sampling inspections according to production needs during the incubation process, observe whether embryonic development is normal, and pay attention to whether there are obvious differences between different egg trolleys or different areas.
5.3 Second Candling
Section titled “5.3 Second Candling”Check embryonic development during the late candling stage, identify and confirm dead embryos and other abnormal hatching eggs, and reduce unnecessary space occupation and subsequent processing work.
5.4 Candling Results Statistics
Section titled “5.4 Candling Results Statistics”Record the number of candled eggs, infertile eggs, dead embryos, and abnormal situations, and analyze the factors affecting the incubation effect in combination with the source of hatching eggs, storage conditions, and incubator operation records.
VI. Transfer and Moving to the Hatcher
Section titled “VI. Transfer and Moving to the Hatcher”6.1 Preparations Before Transfer
Section titled “6.1 Preparations Before Transfer”Check the cleaning and disinfection status, temperature and humidity control, fan, and ventilation systems of the hatcher, and prepare clean hatcher baskets and transfer equipment.
6.2 Embryo Egg Tray Transfer
Section titled “6.2 Embryo Egg Tray Transfer”After reaching the specified transfer stage, transfer the embryo eggs from the incubator trays to the hatcher baskets. Handle them gently during operation to reduce collisions and vibrations, and remove confirmed dead embryos and rotten eggs.
6.3 Transferring to the Hatcher
Section titled “6.3 Transferring to the Hatcher”Send the hatcher baskets or egg trolleys loaded with embryo eggs into the hatcher, verify the batch and quantity, confirm normal equipment operation, and adjust the corresponding operating parameters according to the process requirements of the hatching stage.
VII. Hatching Process Management
Section titled “VII. Hatching Process Management”7.1 Hatching Time Observation
Section titled “7.1 Hatching Time Observation”Pay attention to the time of the first pipping, the concentrated hatching stage, and the overall hatching progress, observe whether the ducklings hatch neatly, and judge whether there are problems such as premature hatching, delayed hatching, or uneven hatching based on actual conditions.
7.2 Chick Pulling Timing and Frequency
Section titled “7.2 Chick Pulling Timing and Frequency”Arrange chick pulling according to the hatching situation of the ducklings, the dryness of the down, and the activity state, organize the chick pulling batches reasonably, and avoid pulling too early or staying for too long.
7.3 Hatching Environment Management
Section titled “7.3 Hatching Environment Management”Pay attention to the temperature and humidity, ventilation, and fan operation of the hatcher, manage according to the hatching progress of this batch and equipment process requirements, and avoid arbitrary large adjustments to parameters.
7.4 Handling of Unhatched Embryo Eggs
Section titled “7.4 Handling of Unhatched Embryo Eggs”Conduct necessary inspections on unhatched embryo eggs, distinguish between normal development, delayed development, and dead embryos, and do a good job in quantity statistics and cause analysis to provide a reference for subsequent improvement of the incubation process.
Those that hatch later are called late-hatching ducklings; place them reasonably in baskets, cover with blankets for warmth, and manually assist if necessary to improve economic benefits.
VIII. Duckling Picking and Quality Grading
Section titled “VIII. Duckling Picking and Quality Grading”8.1 Duckling Picking
Section titled “8.1 Duckling Picking”Take out the ducklings that meet the picking conditions from the hatcher baskets, paying attention to handling them gently to avoid squeezing, dropping, and limb damage.
8.2 Duckling Quality Inspection
Section titled “8.2 Duckling Quality Inspection”Check the mental state, activity ability, down condition, navel healing, and whether the limbs are normal of the ducklings, and identify weak chicks, deformed chicks, and other abnormal individuals.
8.3 Grading and Quantity Statistics
Section titled “8.3 Grading and Quantity Statistics”Grade the ducklings according to production quality requirements, separately count the number of qualified ducklings, weak chicks, dead chicks, and other unqualified ducklings, and verify them with the transfer quantity and hatching records.
IX. Duckling Vaccination and Pre-shipment Management
Section titled “IX. Duckling Vaccination and Pre-shipment Management”9.1 Preparations Before Immunization
Section titled “9.1 Preparations Before Immunization”According to the immunization plan of the farm, verify the vaccine name, batch number, expiry date, and storage conditions, prepare the corresponding inoculation equipment, and confirm that the vaccine is suitable for this batch of ducklings.
9.2 Immunization Operation
Section titled “9.2 Immunization Operation”Carry out immunization according to the immunization procedure formulated by the veterinarian and the vaccine instructions, and record the number of inoculations, operators, vaccine usage, and abnormal reactions.
9.3 Temporary Storage and Pre-shipment of Ducklings
Section titled “9.3 Temporary Storage and Pre-shipment of Ducklings”Place the graded ducklings in clean and ventilated turnover boxes, mark them by batch, control the temporary storage environment, and avoid crowding, cold, overheating, and long-term retention.
9.4 Departure and Transportation
Section titled “9.4 Departure and Transportation”Before loading, verify the number of ducklings, batches, and receiving units, check the sanitation of transport vehicles and turnover boxes, make arrangements for ventilation, cold protection, or heatstroke prevention according to weather and transportation conditions, and handle relevant quarantine procedures as required.
X. Incubation Equipment Cleaning, Disinfection, and Maintenance
Section titled “X. Incubation Equipment Cleaning, Disinfection, and Maintenance”10.1 Post-hatching Cleanup
Section titled “10.1 Post-hatching Cleanup”Timely clean up eggshells, down, and other dirt remaining in the incubator, hatcher, egg trays, and egg trolleys.
10.2 Cleaning and Disinfection
Section titled “10.2 Cleaning and Disinfection”Clean and disinfect the machine body, egg trays, egg trolleys, and related utensils according to equipment instructions and production hygiene requirements, and perform necessary drying and ventilation treatments.
10.3 Equipment Inspection and Reset
Section titled “10.3 Equipment Inspection and Reset”Check the fan, turning mechanism, humidification system, sensors, and egg trolley operation structure, record equipment abnormalities that occurred during the production process, complete necessary maintenance and review, and prepare for the next batch of incubation.
XI. Incubation Records and Effect Summary
Section titled “XI. Incubation Records and Effect Summary”Summarize data such as hatching egg setting, candling, transfer, hatching, duckling grading, and equipment operation, analyze the hatchability, healthy chick rate, hatching uniformity, and dead embryo distribution, summarize production experience in combination with hatching egg quality and equipment operation records, and continuously improve the incubation process.