A great deal of meticulous care goes into making sure those yellow balls of chirping fluff hatch from their shells as healthy chicks ready to be raised on a broiler farm.
As a farm which focuses on Hatchery as one of our operations/services, we purchase fertilized eggs from hatching egg producers. We are registered with the Ghana Poultry Association, Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and we abide by the Hatchery Regulations. The regulations govern the cleanliness of the hatchery, which is especially important to keep the incubators free of pathogens that might cause the chicks to become ill or result in foodborne illness.
When they arrive from the hatching egg farm, eggs are placed in incubators where they are kept warm and automatically turned gently at regular intervals. Eggs hatch around the 21 day mark. The incubators, or hatchers, are then opened to reveal thousands of chicks who have pecked their way out of their shells. The remainder of the yolk sac, that fed the growing chick during incubation, has now been absorbed into the chick’s body and provides it with adequate nourishment for the first 72 hours of life.
At the hatchery, the chicks can be vaccinated to protect them from common poultry diseases, just like we are vaccinated as babies against common human diseases.
It is really important that the chicks are kept warm and protected from any drafts as they are readied for transport. They are carefully placed in clean and disinfected crates, free of any sharp edges that might injure them. Once in the crate and on the clean, climate-controlled transport truck, they are ready for the journey to their new home: a barn where they will be raised for about 35 days until they become broiler chickens ready for market.
Akro-Farms has a tight Biosecurity system, experienced personnel and over a 98% hatchability rate