Aviagen has launched the latest publication in the 'How To' series of hatchery tutorials. Entitled 'How To Monitor Setter Temperature Variation', the eight-page document is intended as a working reference and guide for hatchery managers and supervisors.

The 'How To' edition is available as a download [click here] or as a laminated hard copy from the Aviagen Technical Team and Hatchery Specialists. It is the sixth publication in the 'How To' series which has been well received by customers.

Dinah Nicholson, Global Manager, Hatchery Development and Support, said: "The 'How To' documents are based on practical tips and advice gathered from visits to customer hatcheries across the globe. The hatchery support team get to meet a huge variety of people and see a lot of different facilities. Based on conversations from hatchery visits, calls to the technical team, demonstrations of new technology and the completion of our own trials, we bring together best practice within these documents.

"The latest title follows previous topics; Measuring egg water loss, Measuring chick yield, Measuring egg shell temperature, Identifying infertile eggs and early deads and Break out and analyse hatch debris. A seventh 'How To' is entitled 'How To Keep your Chicks Comfortable' and is due to be released early next year. Responses from customers' hatchery staff to this new format for technical advice have been consistently positive."

Nick French, Incubation Specialist, explained: "The important thing about these documents is they are not designed to be left in an office, they are developed as essential tools for hatchery staff. The latest 'How To' includes advice on ideal monitoring points for temperatures, targets to ensure optimum chick hatching performance and advice on what to look at if temperatures are outside the preferred ranges. They should be on the wall of the hatchery and read by all staff regularly.

"The feedback has been tremendously positive, we've even had support from incubator manufacturers and we've translated all of the existing documents into several languages to support our customers in different parts of the world."