Zoetis: Risk-based process evaluations help hatcheries uncover chick health opportunities

27 July 2026

4 minute read

By: Zoetis

North America

The hatchery provides a convenient time to apply vaccines for broiler poultry production. It’s an opportunity for mass application but maintaining consistent and effective vaccination can be challenging. 

The quality of vaccination technology is important, but application consistency depends on many factors beyond technology. Equipment condition, vaccine preparation, sanitation, hatchery environment and vaccination crew technique all influence how effectively vaccine is delivered to developing embryos. 

For hatcheries relying on Embrex® in ovo vaccination systems, Zoetis provides a quarterly process evaluation service to help hatchery teams examine in ovo vaccination process and identify improvements that may support chick health, vaccine performance and productivity.

The process evaluation service is designed to provide useful insights into daily practices surrounding Embrex technology. For many years, this service generated a score that hatcheries could use as a metric to gauge their performance and adherence to recommended best practices. Recently, the post-service report was enhanced to put more focus on identifying risks that could impact the optimal in ovo process. This evolution in the process evaluation service is important because a high score does not always mean low risk. The updated approach helps hatcheries understand how different risks may influence hatchery outcomes and how recommended corrective measures may help strengthen the in ovo vaccination process.

Equipped with information about potential risks, hatchery managers can make more informed decisions about areas of focus. The risk-based process evaluation does not preempt a hatchery’s own priorities or management decisions. Instead, it provides a framework for discussing opportunities, reviewing best-practice recommendations and implementing corrective measures that may support vaccine efficacy, help reduce contamination pressure and support healthy, productive chicks.

“A hatchery with a high process evaluation score may appear to be performing well overall while still having a critical risk that can impact performance,” said Kevin Dudley, technical services representative at Zoetis. “By focusing on risk levels instead of scores, hatchery managers and crews can better understand where attention is needed most and why corrective action matters.”

Critical, high and moderate risk levels

The Embrex process evaluation categorizes findings by risk level: critical, high and moderate. Critical risks are those most likely to affect performance and call for immediate attention. The impact of high and moderate risks may depend on surrounding conditions, adjacent process deviations or other factors, and process evaluation findings can help provide valuable insight to inform improvement opportunities.

Process evaluation goals include to help hatcheries see where best-practice gaps exist and how those gaps may influence outcomes. Each process point is connected to a potential risk category, such as vaccine contamination, vaccine efficacy, process contamination, embryo impact, data integrity or environmental impact. These categories connect the process evaluation more directly to hatchery and flock metrics, including hatchability, early mortality, feed conversion, livability and processing performance.

“Embrex in ovo vaccination technology plays a significant role in our industry’s hatchery performance and bird health,” said Stoney Dorning, technical services representative at Zoetis. “Adhering to protocols that can impact measurable outcomes is an opportunity for hatchery managers and vaccination crews to make a real difference.”

Clear opportunities for supporting chick health

In ovo vaccination is a precise process performed on a developing embryo at the time of transfer. A risk-based process evaluation helps hatcheries identify where the process may be vulnerable. For example, improper sanitation mixing, incomplete cleaning, crossed vaccine lines, plugged needles or poor aseptic technique during vaccine preparation can all create risks that may not be immediately obvious in the hatchery. 

Such risks may later become evident in reduced chick quality, early mortality, poor vaccine performance and other downstream bird health impacts. If potential risks are revealed during process evaluations, however, resources can be focused in areas likely to support chick health and productivity.

Quality control is a key part of the process. QC plates can help confirm whether vaccines are delivered as expected and whether sanitation processes are optimal. Bacterial plating can help identify possible contamination sources in the vaccine mixing laboratory or device. Egg pack assessments, hatch residue data and device performance information can also strengthen troubleshooting by helping teams understand where losses or process gaps exist.

Sustaining progress

Hatcheries can use each process evaluation report to identify immediate needs, review repeat findings and monitor trends over time. If the same risk appears across multiple evaluations, that may signal a need for additional training, supervision, workflow changes or clearer task ownership.

Following the Embrex process checklist can help turn recommendations into daily habits. Used consistently, it helps crews confirm that key steps are completed, equipment is ready, quality-control checks are performed, and issues are corrected before the in ovo vaccination process continues.

Strong hatchery teams understand that attention to small details can have a big impact. The updated Embrex process evaluation gives those teams a framework for identifying risks, prioritizing areas in need of improvement and supporting healthy, productive birds. For hatcheries, the value is in using the insights to make informed decisions that strengthen hatchery results.

To learn more about Embrex process evaluations by Zoetis, contact your Zoetis representative.