Simple, economical and effective incubation methods for pheasants

Larger-scale pheasant farms generally use machines for incubation; but for some small-scale pheasant keepers, because the number of hatching eggs is small, using a machine to incubate is very uneconomical, so they have to use artificial incubation methods.

Two simple, economical and effective incubation methods are introduced below:

1. Incubation method using an electric blanket plus water bags

(1) Equipment:

Electric blanket, water bags (plastic bags), bed sheet, cotton quilt, spreading bed, thermometer.

(2) Spreading bed:

First place the electric blanket on the bed, then place the water bags on the electric blanket, cover the water bags with a bed sheet, place the hatching eggs on the bed sheet, then insert the thermometer among the hatching eggs and cover with the cotton quilt.

(3) Incubation management:

① Temperature regulation. Plug in the power so that the water bag temperature reaches about 40°C.

② Setting the eggs. Place the disinfected hatching eggs on the bed sheet; at this time pay attention to controlling the temperature and keep it at about 38°C.

③ Turning eggs and cooling eggs. Start turning the eggs 10 hours after setting, turn the eggs once every 3 hours, with a turning angle of about 90 degrees, until stopping turning after 21 days. After 1 week of incubation, start cooling the eggs once a day, for about 15 minutes each time, until the hatching egg temperature drops to 30—33°C, then warm them again.

④ Removing eggs. Candle the eggs once each on the 7th and 11th days after setting. Promptly remove infertile eggs, dead sperm eggs, weak sperm eggs and dead embryo eggs.

⑤ Waiting for hatching. After 21 days, spray the egg surface with warm water once a day; when some chicks are pecking through the shell, raise the temperature to about 39°C.

For the few chicks that cannot hatch in time, manual assistance should also be given.

2. Incubation method using a kerosene lamp and warm water bags

(1) Equipment. 1 self-made four-wick kerosene lamp, water bags, bed sheet, cotton quilt, thermometer.

(2) Set up an open wooden box spreading bed. The size of the open wooden box depends on how many hatching eggs there are, with a side height of 20 cm; cut a 20×25 cm square hole in the center of the wooden box, nail a piece of iron sheet over the square hole, spread plant ash about 5 cm thick on the bottom except for the iron sheet, wrap the surroundings well with cotton wadding, then place the water bags on the plant ash, put the kerosene lamp under the iron sheet, and let its flame just touch the iron sheet. Control the temperature by controlling the size of the kerosene lamp flame.

(3) Incubation management is the same as the incubation method using an electric blanket plus water bags.

The results of using both methods are very good.