Dehydration 

                    First risk for early life   

The key to achieving predictable and constantly superior chick quality is to ensure that the needs of the embryo and chicks after hatch are continuously met. The hatch window is a precarious period and takes between 24 to 36 hours. At traditional hatcheries, day-old chicks have to wait until they arrive at the poultry farm before they have access to feed and water. However, newly hatched chicks are in the process of intensive development and should be provided with feed and water immediately.       

HatchTech developed the HatchCare hatcher to fulfil the requirements necessary in early life. HatchCare is the hatcher with feed, light and water. All chicks have ad lib access to feed and water as soon as they hatch. Water is necessary to prevent dehydration, encourage the feed intake and a large number of other physiological processes.  The water in the HatchCare is an open system so that chicks can easily find the water and drink it actively in a natural way. The system flushes the water every 20 minutes from front to back to ensure continuously clean, fresh water at the right temperature for every newly hatched chick.