Hatchery Management Rules

1. KEY PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS IN HATCHERY
Stéphane HEMON

2. Hatchery
Key Performance Indicators
 Hatchery Main target is to produce chicks of good quality
 Hatchability and chicks quality cannot be dissociate and
chicks quality is link with egg quality!
 Hatchery KPI is based on hatchability and first week
mortality worldwide.
Stéphane Hémon April 2020 stephane.hemon@novogen-layers.com

3. Keys factors for optimal
Hatchery Performance
 Eggs quality and characteristics
 Egg Management , storage and disinfection
 Incubation Profile, EST (Temperature) and HR (Humidity)
 Egg weight loss Management
 Chick yield

4. From Egg to Day Old Chick
Ensuring the well being of Embryo
From
Oviposition
to setter
From
Setter to
hatcher
From
Hatcher
to Chick
Pulling
• Transfer Conditions
• Hatcher Profile
• Hatcher Disinfection
• Egg breakout Analysis
• Pre warming conditions
• Uniformity of
conditions/Equipment design
• Incubation Profile
• Early Egg breakout Analysis
• Setter biosecurity
• Eggs collection
• Eggs disinfection
• Storage conditions
• Transportation conditions
1
2
3

5. From Egg to Chick

6. Hatchability Depletion
Target < 0,3%

7. Hatchability
 Hatchability commercial or scientific
Hatchability % Commercial = Number of Chicks
Number of Egg Set
Hatchability % Scientific = Number of Chicks
Number of Fertile Eggs
100
100

8. Hatchability on Set and on Fertile Eggs

9. Main factors affecting Hatchability
 Factors affecting hatchability are:
Strain
Nutrition
Flock Health
Flock age
Egg Quality
Storage conditions farm
Hatchery Management

10. How to achieve good Hatchability
• Optimal Hatchery performance is a based on quality of incubated
egg and optimal environmental conditions during the process
• First of all Egg quality has to be optimal (Shell and contents)
• Hatchery environmental conditions (Temperature/Humidity and
ventilation) have to be in proper range to achieve targets
• Incubation Targets are :
Eggshell temperature average 100 F
Egg weight loss at transfer from 10 to 13%
Chick Yield 67 to 68%
• Uniformity of conditions are crucial

11. Uniformity of conditions
Target at all levels

12. Setter/Hatcher Optimum Parameters
O2
CO2
H2O
Heat
Ventilation
Machine
Cooling
(Mandatory)
Air Velocity (2m/S)
Humidity (50 to 58)
Temperature (EST
average 100F)
Heat ExchangeEmbryo Temperature
EggShell Temperature (EST)
Optimum conditions EST 99,5 to 100,5F

13. 13
EST effect on Chicks Quality
Proper yolk sac absorption = < 10 %
High EST > 102F
Optimal EST 100 F
• Bigger
• Stronger
• Optimal immunity
• Good performance

14. Egg weight loss target
• Egg weight loss during
incubation is correlated
with egg quality and
with environmental
conditions
• Optimal environmental
conditions is ranging
from 50 to 58% of
humidity in relation
with eggshell quality.
• Setting Point have to be
adjusted according to
age flock.
HR lower
HR Higher

15. Weight loss at transfer
De la mise au transfert
• Perte des OAC:
 From set to transfer: 12%
 From transfer to hatch: 3%
 Eggshell and membrane: 11%
 Chick body weight at hatch: 74%
 Chick weight loss in hatcher: 7%
(0,25%/h 6-7%/24h)
 Optimal chick body weight at pulling: 67%
Total 15%
Total 85%
74%-7%
Wet to dry 6 -7%

16. 16
Egg Weight loss and hatchability
Egg weight loss is one of the most important target to achieve
Insufficient weight loss will definitively affect hatchability
Target to achieve is between 10 to 13%

17. Egg weight loss and Chick Yield
• Chick yield is a good
indicator in hatchery
management
• CY is the average
chick body weight at
hatching divided by
the average egg
weight at setting.
• Chick weight Target
value is 67 to 68 %
of the initial egg
weight.

18. Optimal embryonic development
with correct chick yield 0,67
• Critical development
phases
• First two days
• At 5 to 6 days
• End of incubation
18 to 19 days
• At hatching

19. Hatchability According to Egg Origin

20. Uniformity of conditions
At all levels
Egg
Quality
and
Uniformity
Optimal
embryonic
development
Optimal Hatch
windows
Less than 24h
Optimal
Hatchability
and Chick
quality
Farm/Flock
Management Fertility/Setter
conditions/Kind of Profile etc According to
uniformity of
conditions
Only if good farm
management and
good hatchery
management
Only if good
hatchery
management

21. Achieving good hatchability in hatchery
Golden Rules
21
 Egg quality, shell, yolk and albumen
 Similar egg Characteristics and embryo development at setting is essential (optimum
storage conditions)
 Uniformity of conditions in setter/hatcher (avoid cold/hot spots)
 Uniformity of Egg shell temperature average 100 F
 Monitoring Egg weight loss to target 10 to 13% at transfer.
 Chick yield average between 67 to 68%
 Embryonic mortality less than 7% (ED 2% MD< 0,5 LD <4,5%)
 Farm First week mortality less than 2%

22. Thank you for your attention !
22

23. Disclaimer
The performance data contained in this document was obtained from
results and experience from our own research flocks and flocks of our
customers. In no way does the data contained in this document constitute a
warranty or guarantee of the same performance under different conditions
of nutrition, density or physical or biological environment. In particular (but
without limitation of the foregoing) we do not grant any warranties
regarding the fitness for purpose, performance, use, nature or quality of the
flocks. NOVOGEN makes no representation as to the accuracy or
completeness of the information contained in this document.