Chicks hatch on the floor of the broiler house

True to tradition, hatching is a process to usually take place in a conventional hatchery. An alternative however, is hatching preincubated eggs in a preheated broiler house, thus allowing newly born chicks immediate & uninterrupted access to feed and water.

Furthermore, on-farm hatching eliminates all stress related to hatchery handling of day-old chicks, and there is no transport of day-old chicks.

This is in line with the most recent EFSA recommendation, assessing the welfare of day-old chicks. With the NestBorn system, the eggs are put on a bed of woodchips or straw on the floor. Once they are hatched, the chicks immediately find their way in the house. Broiler grower Albert Sanders has been using it for 5 years now. He is satisfied with the system.

A truck, carrying a, 50.00O pre-incubated eggs arrives at the farm. First, a futuristic high-tech machine is unloaded (Photo 1), the NestBorn egg placing machine (available in a regular or compact version, can be customized for all types of setter trays).

• Powered by a high capacity battery, this self-propelled machine is moved into the preheated broiler house by the operator.
• Then the trollies with setter trays with 17 tot- 19 day pre-incubated eggs are unloaded from that same truck and taken into the house.
• The operator positions the machine over the 2 meter wide bedding strip, which is covered with woodchips.

Photo 1. The self-propelled egg placing machine is unloaded from the truck

Photo 2. Onwards, pre-incubated eggs are unloaded from the truckP