Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Artificial Incubation Technology for Pheasants
Pheasant breeding eggs should be incubated as soon as they are laid. If the number of eggs is small, domestic hens can be used as surrogate incubators. If there are many breeding eggs, an incubator must be used. The incubation procedure for pheasant breeding eggs is the same as for domestic chickens, except that the incubation period and the control of temperature and humidity differ somewhat. When adopting artificial incubation, the following work must be done well.
1. Equipment provision. An incubator and hatcher equipped with automatic temperature control should be provided. A domestic chicken incubator can also be used, but its egg tray specifications must be modified. In addition, an egg candler, egg storage trays, etc. are also needed. It is best to have an extra generator.
2. Preparatory work before incubation
(1) Check the equipment. After the incubation equipment is installed, check whether the generator, relays, indicator lights, over-temperature alarms, fans and all parts are operating normally. These devices are required to respond sensitively, be sturdy and reliable, and perform well. At the same time, use a strictly calibrated thermometer to determine whether the temperature at different positions inside the incubator is uniform. If the temperature difference inside the incubator exceeds ±0.5℃ and the humidity difference exceeds 5%, adjustments should be made. After 2 days of trial operation, only if everything is normal can the eggs be disinfected and incubated. Spare parts must be available for easily damaged components, and the generator must be in good condition so that it can supply power whenever needed.
(2) Select eggs. Breeding eggs should be collected promptly; eggs laid on the same day should be collected that day to avoid bacterial contamination. Breeding eggs must be selected to be moderate in size, standard in shape, and consistent in eggshell color. Eggs that are below standard weight, deformed, mottled with strange colors, irregular, or cracked should be removed. Breeding eggs should be weighed and registered one by one. Place them on the egg tray with the blunt end up. After being placed in the incubator, disinfect them together with the incubator.
(3) Store eggs. All breeding eggs should be registered and numbered, and placed in a cool, ventilated place at 12-18℃. Breeding eggs generally should not be stored for more than 7 days, at most 10 days, otherwise the hatchability will be affected.
(4) Disinfection. Place a porcelain dish on the bottom layer of the incubator, mix 5.5 grams of potassium permanganate and 11 milliliters of formaldehyde solution per cubic meter, and quickly seal it for disinfection for 30 minutes. Then turn on the blower to drive off the formaldehyde gas as quickly as possible, and incubation can begin. This method can disinfect both the breeding eggs and the incubator at the same time; it is simple and highly effective. Other disinfection methods may also be chosen.
3. Incubation (1) Turning eggs. During incubation, breeding eggs should be turned once every 2 hours, turning up and down at a 45° angle. If the temperature difference inside the incubator is ±0.5-1℃, the trays should be adjusted once a day. (2) Cooling eggs. Open the incubator door every 12 hours and cool the eggs for 10-20 minutes. In the early stage of incubation, the cooling time can be shorter; in the later stage, because the embryos generate more of their own heat, the cooling time can be appropriately longer. Incubating eggs in batches can prevent overheating. (3) Candling eggs. Candle the eggs once each on the 7th day and 18th day of incubation, and weigh them, removing infertile eggs and dead embryo eggs.
4. Incubation temperature and humidity. Temperature and humidity are the two most critical factors for successful hatching and must be strictly controlled. From the 1st to 20th day of incubation, the temperature is 37.5-37.8℃ and the humidity is 65%-70%; on the 23rd-24th day, the temperature can be lowered to 37℃, while the humidity should be raised to 70%-75%. On the 21st day, transfer the embryo eggs from the incubator to the hatcher to continue incubation. The hatchability can reach as high as 90.1%, and the incubation period is 24 days. Different temperatures and humidity produce significant differences in hatchability. From days 1-20, with an incubation temperature of 37.8℃ and humidity of 65%-70%, and near hatching with the temperature lowered to 37℃ and relative humidity raised to 75%, the chicks emerge neatly, concentrated on the 24th day.
The chicks have good umbilical closure, are lively and strong, and have full and glossy down. The hatchability of fertilized eggs reaches 90.1%, and the hatching effect is optimal. If the incubation temperature is relatively low, embryonic development is delayed, hatching is uneven, and the incubation period is prolonged, up to as long as 26 days. The chicks are weak and small, cannot stand steadily, and the chick survival rate decreases. If the temperature is high and the humidity is low, there are many dead embryos in the later stage of incubation, and the beak and down of those that break the shell are often stuck to the egg membrane, so they cannot emerge and die. Some also die from bleeding at the beak-shell area or from being stuck in the shell. At this time, timely assistance in hatching can improve the hatchability somewhat. Which of these two factors, temperature and humidity, is most critical? We compared embryo mortality under conditions of the same temperature and different humidity. The results showed that changes in humidity had less impact (12.9%-20.9%), so temperature is clearly more important. Slight changes in temperature have a great impact on embryo mortality.
In addition, during incubation, unexpected situations such as power outages or incubator temperature control failure are often encountered. Therefore, preparing an extra incubator and a backup generator can ensure successful incubation. Otherwise, when unexpected situations occur, even if effective “local methods” are adopted, it is difficult to obtain good results. In the early stage of incubation, the temperature should be higher (37.8℃) to promote embryonic development; in the later stage of incubation, the embryos gradually mature and generate more of their own heat, so the temperature should be slightly lowered at this time. Increasing humidity helps the chicks break the shell.