Energy sources for poultry egg incubators’ efficiency and hatchability

Abstract

Artificial incubation is needed to multiply the chicken yield especially in the upcoming economies where the provision falls short of its demand. Heat is the major factor among the indispensable requirements of successful egg incubation. Hence, the main focus of this work is to identify the sources of energy used in poultry egg incubations and to determine the hatchability rate of the poultry egg incubators based on energy source used. The method of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used. Series of eligibility/exclusion criteria were applied: only journal articles, peer reviewed conference papers and government publications were selected; articles in English publications were chosen as well. Only papers published from April, 2022 downwards were covered. The study found that sources of energy for egg incubation are categorized into grid supply electricity, solar system, fossil fuel, biogas and thermochemical materials. From the reviewed articles, 50% identified grid-supplied electricity as energy source for poultry egg incubation and hatchability ranges from 80.9% - 98.39%. However, due to erratic nature of electricity supply and non-availability in rural areas especially in developing nations, the study recommends increased research interest on other energy sources to improve their hatchability.