Ovoscopy of chicken eggs before and during incubation, or transmission through a special ovoscope device, is carried out to identify possible developmental abnormalities in embryos and, if necessary, take measures to improve incubation conditions.
The use of an ovoscope is one of the most reliable methods for determining various pathologies that are not visible to the naked eye.
During the examination, the specialist determines whether the fertilized egg or not, whether there are cracks in the shell. Eggs with even small cracks must be removed to prevent bacteria and other eggs from becoming infected.
The ovoscope device can be both purchased and cost quite expensive, and homemade. Private farmers often make it on their own and use it efficiently on the farm.
In poultry farms, this procedure is carried out in a special room. Eggs are brought on the egg carriers to the hatchery, from where the containers with the contents are sent to the room for further sorting.
After ovoscopy, eggs suitable for incubation are placed in trays and sent for disinfection, from where they will go directly to the incubator for growing.
How to carry out ovoscopy of chicken eggs during incubation
Before laying eggs in an incubator, the following defects should alert you:
- spotty marble shell structure, which indicates a lack or excess of calcium,
- light streaks resulting from damage,
- a large air chamber, as well as a chamber at the sharp end and side,
- blood clots
- dark spots (a sign of mold colonies)
- foreign objects (feathers, grains of sand),
- the contents have an orange-red color without a visually noticeable yolk (most likely, the yolk broke and mixed with protein),
- two yolks
- the yolk moves freely in the egg and does not return to its place,
- the yolk is fixed in one place (it is possible that it has dried).
VIDEO INSTRUCTION
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Chicken Egg Ovoscopy by Day
Throughout the entire incubation period, ovoscopy is performed several times. This allows you to track the development of the embryo and discard eggs unsuitable for further incubation. It is not recommended to remove eggs from the incubator for more than 25 minutes.
3 day incubation
The egg on the third day of incubation is clearly visible, and you can see:
- yolk,
- air chamber at the blunt end of the egg.
It is not yet possible to determine whether it is fertilized or not.
4 day incubation
When ovoscopy visible:
- air chamber at the blunt end,
- the beginning of the development of blood vessels,
- fetal heartbeat.
5 day incubation
When scanned, you will see:
- air chamber at the blunt end,
- blood vessels have increased by more than half the egg, they are clearly visible - this means that there is an active development of the embryo.
6 day incubation
- air chamber,
- blood vessels filled almost the entire egg,
- the movements of the embryo itself are visible.
7 day incubation
When scanned, you will see:
- embryo movements
- well-developed blood vessels (filled almost the entire egg),
- air chamber.
11 day incubation
When ovoscopy visible:
- air chamber,
- blood vessels are clearly visible, completely filled the whole egg,
- the egg is no longer as translucent as on the seventh day, it has a darker shade.
15 day incubation
The following changes are noticeable:
- the egg no longer has the same lumen as on the eleventh day,
- the translucent part has blood vessels,
- the air chamber is clearly visible.
19 day incubation
When ovoscopic, you will see that:
- the egg has virtually no clearance
- the embryo is almost fully developed, but not yet ready for brood,
- the air chamber is clearly visible.
What is ovoscopy?
Experienced poultry farmers pay special attention to the choice of eggs. Chick development is a long and difficult process in which failures often occur. Fans of breeding offspring know that not all eggs hatch from all eggs. Even in ancient times, people were looking for ways to determine the state of the embryo.
Ovoscopy - the choice of eggs for incubation by viewing the life of the future chicken using a light device. The first ovoscope was an ordinary candle.
Ancestors lit a candle and sent light to the embryo. Light allowed you to view the insides of the egg, evaluating the situation. In the future, more modern appliances were used: flashlights, electric lamps.
Instruments and a candle had a big minus. They shone through from one angle, preventing the specialist from fully considering the formation process. Then ovoscopes appeared.
Ovoscope - a lamp on a stand, installed so that the egg is completely translucent.
With the help of an ovoscope, the summer resident gets the opportunity to choose a healthy fetus. It will go through all incubation periods and hatch.
Features of ovoscopy
The ovoscopy procedure is accompanied by compliance with small rules.
When using an ovoscope, it is important to follow the step-by-step instructions:
- The poultry breeder finds a quiet place with a flat surface and installs the device.
- The egg is placed in the designated place, depending on the type of ovoscope.
- If the ovoscope looks like a lantern, the poultry breeder takes the embryo in his hand and flips it around its axis under the light of the device.
At large-scale production, ovoscopy is performed by identifying the location of the yolk. On special machines equipped to maintain the safety of eggs, goods are brought to the incubation center.
Embryos are sent for integrity verification. A group of people translucent eggs and seek out pathologies. In a quality product, the yolk is centered or slightly deflected. Healthy embryos are selected and sent for incubation.
Selection of tools for ovoscopy
A budget and expensive way to see eggs is offered:
- creating your own device at home,
- purchase of professional equipment in the store.
Creating your own device at home does not provide a huge effort. Knowledge of basic technologies for creating an ovoscope is required. The stand and the lamp are created from the means in the house. The simplest design is the lamp in the box.
It is recommended to choose a thick box that does not conduct light. Holes are made in it for the nuclei and the source of transmission. The hard part of creating is finding the perfect coal lumen. Eggs must be fully translucent. The way to use the parting is to turn on the ovoscope and lay the eggs at the designated positions.
This design is suitable for small poultry farms.
Large-scale factories use professional equipment to simplify the procedure.
The price of one device varies up to 6 to 10 thousand rubles. The main advantage of store products is a large capacity, durable materials that extend the life of up to a dozen years.
When to shine through? Daily Ovoscopy Procedure
Daily egg screening is a common mistake made by beginner poultry farmers.
This check is not recommended for 3 reasons:
- Specialists using hens for rearing chicks endanger birds. Separation of hatched eggs is difficult for birds to experience. Constant stresses are harmful to the brood hen.
- Often touching the eggs is undesirable. At first they are very fragile. Mechanical small cracks are guaranteed to appear on the egg, making it unusable.
- Embryos have weak immunity. Constant temperature changes adversely affect the state and development of the embryo.
The duration of the procedure should not exceed 5 minutes. The choice of room falls on a warm secluded place.
First transillumination procedure
The question of the time and frequency of the procedure is always relevant. Ovoscopy is performed several times at different stages of embryo development. When embryos appear, it is undesirable to immediately place them in an incubator. Some eggs are refused empty or damaged.
Before laying, the first enlightenment procedure is performed.
At first, nothing practical will be visible inside the egg.
The product is checked for:
- germ content inside,
- lack of cracks and microcracks.
Experienced poultry farmers pay the first attention to the eggshell. This shell protects the young embryo from external environmental influences. The presence of spots, small cracks, roughnesses, roughnesses indicates the unsuitability of the egg for incubation.
The second important factor is the condition of the yolk. In that section is the embryo. It is necessary to well illuminate the yolk. A quality egg contains a distinct spot located in the middle of the shell. When rotating its own axis, the yolk changes position slowly without changing shape.
In the end, attention is concentrated on the general condition of the fluid inside the shell. Quality consistency is liquid and transparent. The presence of clots, foreign bodies and other roughness indicates the unsuitability of the embryo.
At the top of a healthy egg is a small bubble of air - a pug.
The second procedure for scrolling chicken eggs
The second procedure for scrolling eggs is carried out on the 11th day of embryo development. It is necessary to check the condition of the respiratory system of the future chick - allantois.
A healthy respiratory system is located at the tip of the egg. It fits snugly against the shell and looks like a single spot. Damaged airways and blood vessels can be saved. You must provide proper nutrition.
Third egg translucency procedure
The third egg translucency procedure is carried out on the 18th day of embryo development. This is the latest ovoscopy for future chicks. A final check is made on the readiness of the chicken for birth. There are no pathologies in the absence of a lumen at the end of the egg.
Damaged eggs are not thrown out. They are sent to the middle row of the incubator.
Germ formation by day
Photo:
During the first ovoscopy during translucency, practically nothing is visible except the yolk and the condition of the shell.
With each view of the day, more and more elements are visible:
- Up to 3 days, nothing is visible inside the egg. Translucent homogeneous liquid without clots and defects.
- In the period from 3 to 6 days, the circulatory system is formed, the strings of blood vessels are visible leading to the center of the egg to the embryo.
- A week after the appearance of the egg, the embryo occupies a third of the entire membrane.
- By the end of the second week, the embryo changes location, moving to the lower part of the egg.
- From the second week, the embryo begins to grow rapidly. By the end of 18 days, the embryo occupies the entire surface of the shell.
Pathologies and defects
Do not keep damaged eggs in an incubator. They take up extra space and can infect neighboring embryos.
The main pathologies that you need to pay attention to:
- small spotted shell indicating excessive calcium,
- light and white areas indicate internal damage,
- an air bubble in the wrong place and having a large size,
- damaged blood vessels, accumulation of blood in one place,
- darkening of areas, indicating the presence of mold,
- yolk mixed with protein as a result of damage to the embryo,
- bifurcation of the embryo.
What is an ovoscope and what is its principle of action?
This device is used in cooking to determine the freshness of the product, but more often in farming to establish fertility. That is, using this device you can check the quality of the eggs.
The principle of operation of the ovoscope is quite simple. It is based on the translucent of an egg with an ordinary lamp. Therefore, you can easily make an ovoscope with your own hands in 5 minutes. Eggs are placed in small recesses on the body. And inside the device the lamp is located.
Usually, ready-made ovoscopes work from the network and are designed for transmission of about a dozen eggs. Although there are larger specimens, allowing to determine the quality of more than twenty pieces. There are also miniature devices that can only illuminate one egg at a time. Depending on the model, the device will differ markedly in weight and dimensions. At home, it is quite possible to make one and the other instance.
Lamp selection
First of all, it is worthwhile to figure out what type of lamp is suitable before making an ovoscope for checking eggs with your own hands.
Often install halogen light sources. But such devices must be used with caution, because they heat up very quickly. The continuous operating time of the ovoscope should be no more than five minutes. If you need to check another batch of eggs, then the device is turned off until it is completely cooled.
More modern devices have LED lamps. They have several advantages over halogen ones. The device can be used continuously for a longer time. Egg heating is also excluded when they are scanned, so their properties remain unchanged.
That is, if you want to make an ovoscope with your own hands, then it is better to take lamps of small power. And remember that the egg does not need to be overheated, otherwise just damage the embryo.
The simplest ovoscope
To make the most basic ovoscope, you will need materials that you most likely already have. This is a light bulb, a sheet of cardboard and scissors:
1. The contents of the egg will be best seen in the lumen, if you use a dark background as a limiter. Therefore, cardboard is recommended to take black. Cut an oval in the center of the sheet with scissors, which will be slightly smaller in size than the egg.
2. Go to the light source (chandelier, sconce or table lamp). Stand at a distance of about thirty centimeters from it.
3. Hold the prepared sheet of cardboard as a partition, and with your other hand bring the egg to the hole.
The simplest ovoscope (do it yourself with your own hands is easy) is ready. Now it can be used for its intended purpose.
Paper ovoscope
For this method of manufacturing an ovoscope, you will need a sheet of paper, glue or adhesive tape, scissors, as well as a light source (for example, a table lamp or a flashlight).
1. Roll a piece of paper into a tube so that one end is about six millimeters smaller than the average egg. The other edge in diameter should correspond to the light part of the lamp. That is, one side of the bag will be applied to the lamp, and an egg should be applied to the other edge.
2. Fix the ends of the tube with adhesive tape or glue so that they do not unwind.
3. For more convenient use of the fist trunks, cut so that its length is about nine centimeters.
4. Ovoscope for eggs (do it yourself with your own hands) is ready! Optionally, you can connect the flashlight and the corresponding tip of the tube using tape.
What to make a more convenient option?
If in a home incubator you want to raise chickens regularly, then you will use the ovoscope almost constantly. Then it makes sense to make a more convenient and reliable device for scrolling eggs. You can also make it from improvised materials that can be found at home.
So what is needed? The main components of a home-made ovoscope are a weak bulb up to a hundred watts, an electric cord (if desired with a switch) and a body made of fire-resistant material. From such a minimal set, even a girl can make an ovoscope with her own hands.
1. First decide what you will make the basis of. For example, it can be a can or a wooden box. The most optimal size is considered to be about thirty centimeters. But you can make the foundation larger or smaller depending on your needs. The main thing is that a light bulb should be placed there.
2. Cut a small hole at the bottom of the box.
3. Insert a lampholder into it so that the cord with the plug goes out. Secure with tape or glue if necessary. The light bulb should not fall.
4. In the box lid, make an oval hole. It should be less than an egg about half a centimeter, otherwise it will fall down.
5. Put the finished appliance on the table and plug it into the network. If everything is done correctly, the light will come on.
This is a pretty good way to make a reliable ovoscope with your own hands in 5 minutes.
Ovoscope Tips
The ovoscope allows you to detect not only external but also internal defects. However, it should be borne in mind that the eggs to be checked should be clean enough. This will facilitate the identification of damage.
Depending on the incubation time, different contents can be seen with an ovoscope. In the early stages it will be the yolk and the air chamber, after - the blood vessels, and at the very end - the already formed chick. If they have damage, then the device will show this when scanned.
The air chamber looks like a dark rounded spot and has a fixed position, so when you rotate the egg, it should not move. The yolk can move, but should not touch the walls of the shell. Cracks in the egg when scanned look like dark stripes or spots.
Now you know how to make an ovoscope with your own hands in just a few minutes. It is very easy and simple, and most importantly, helps to save the budget.
