This article discusses the advantages of Kenyan egg incubation as a cost-effective and long-term solution for your poultry project. Check out this article to learn about the benefits of incubating eggs instead of conventionally brooding chicks if you’re considering starting your own poultry business.
Millions of people worldwide rely on eggs as a primary source of protein, and many rural households in developing nations depend on them as a significant source of income. An incubator is needed to keep the eggs and chicks warm until they can hatch on their own. Hatching an egg is frequently the first step in starting a successful poultry operation.
It is challenging for most farmers in Kenya to expand their poultry businesses into profitable enterprises because they have little access to incubators or none. But now that new technologies have developed, you can use chicken incubators on your farm. This more accessible access assists in raising agricultural production and improving the quality of eggs.
Is it expensive to start egg incubation?
As your business needs increase, you can add more mini incubators to your collection for a reasonable price. You can begin a hatchery with the help of inexpensive egg incubators. For instance, a 60 egg incubator price in Kenya is affordable and comes with a 12-month warranty, making it an excellent choice for small farmers. Your investment will quickly pay off.
How fast will a chick develop in an incubator?
A chick can be born from fertile eggs that are one day old in 21 days. t is impossible to set an exact time because the rate of development of chicks depends on factors such as temperature, humidity, the age of the eggs, and the age of the parents of the chicks. Older parents have better feeding habits; hence their chicks grow faster.
After hatching, a chick needs about 24 hours to dry, so you should immediately take the chicks out of the incubator to avoid infections. It would help if you kept the chicks in humid conditions until they began to drink; two days later, they began drinking and looking for food.
Benefits of egg incubation in Kenya
While it is possible to incubate your eggs in a brooder or cardboard box, a commercial hatchery offers several benefits, such as:
- Incubators provide a consistent temperature for incubation, increasing hatch rates and reducing losses from dead chicks and eggs due to improper incubation conditions.
- They minimize the risk of disease exposure by allowing you to keep the birds separate until they are old enough to be safely introduced to each other.
- By selling chicks for more money than eggs, farmers make more money from incubating eggs.
- The incubator can incubate up to 600 eggs daily, reducing the farmer’s workload.
- Because of their attention in the incubator, chicks are healthy and proliferating.
- Another benefit is the convenience of getting only high-quality eggs and chicks, as they are not affected by bad weather or other issues on the family farm. It allows farmers to produce enough eggs for their market consistently.
Conclusion
Commercial egg incubation has many advantages compared to the traditional method of incubating eggs at home. With a healthy hatch rate and quality chicks at affordable prices, hatchery services can be a valuable addition to your farm business.