Topics:
Animal Refresher, Poultry Science
Breeding Birds Needed to Fill a 1000-Egg Incubator
A 1000-egg capacity incubator would need how many breeding birds to keep it full?
- 250
- 500
- 125 — Correct Answer
- 1000
Explanation:
Correct Answer: 125
To keep a 1,000-egg capacity incubator fully loaded, you would need 125 breeding birds.
The Rule
The number of layers (breeding hens) required = 1/8th of the total egg capacity of the incubator.
Calculation: 1000 ÷ 8 = 125 breeding hens
Why 1/8?
- A chicken egg takes 21 days to incubate.
- A commercial incubator is loaded in batches — a new batch is added every 3 days (setter holds eggs for 18 days; hatcher holds for last 3 days).
- With eggs loaded every 3 days over 21 days, there are approximately 7 batches in the incubator at any time.
- To supply ~143 eggs every 3 days, and given ~85% production rate, approximately 125–130 hens are needed.
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This multiple choice question is from Animal Refresher, Poultry Science. It has 4 options with a detailed explanation of the correct answer. Practice more MCQs from Animal Refresher to strengthen your preparation.
