Hatching Equipment in Poultry Incubation Physical factors important for efficient incubation are temperature, humidity, gaseous atmosphere, and egg rotation. The optimum and uniform temperature within the incubator is very critical to produce satisfactory performance. The temperature of the incubator should be controlled as recommended by the manufacturer. It typically ranges from 99.5 ° to 100.5 ° F (37.2 ° C to 37.8 ° C) for forced draught incubators and approximately 1 ° F higher for still - air incubators. Low temperature delays the growth of the embryo and accelerates embryonic development more rapidly than the optimal temperature. Humidity in the incubator affects the ability to hatch. Dry and wet bulb thermometers are used to measure humidity. The use of separate hatchers would improve hatchability. The use of a separate hatcher allows washing, disinfection, and fumigation without disrupting any other lot of eggs Hatchery Management At the beginning of the hatching season, the incubator and hatchers should be thoroughly tested for their efficiency and working. They should be thoroughly washed, disinfected, and fumigated to eliminate disease species before storage and transfer of eggs to the hatcher. This decreases the incidence and spread of disease. Fumigation is typically performed with formaldehyde gas using 40 ml of 40 percent commercial formalin and 20 g potassium permanganate per 2·8 m3 of incubator or hatcher space. You may put potassium permanganate in a jar of glass or earthenware and the formalin may be poured over it. Size of the hatchery The size of the hatchery is based on • T he egg capacity of the setters and hatchers • T he number of eggs that can be set each week • T he number of chicks hatched each week Hatchery design Hatchery should be built in such a way that the hatching eggs can be taken at one end and the chicks removed at the other. In other words, eggs and chicks should flow through the hatchery from one room to the next required in the hatching process. There should be no backtracking. Such a flow allows for greater separation of the spaces, and there is less human movement in the house. THANK YO U