Academic literature on the topic 'Incubators and brooders'

This review article deals with the documentation of all the previous work on the propagation of Gattan. It was found that the induced spawning of Gattan is similar to that of common carp and Bunnei. The sensitive brooders needs a great care during handling and transportation. The brooders weight 5 were 1.5-10 kg for females and 1-2.5 kg for males, with age of 4-9 and 3-6 for the females and males respectively. The artificial breeding season continue from10 March till mid June. The MS222 was used for anesthesia with a concentration of 1/10000. Carp pituitary gland extract (CPG) was used in all the previous work, with different dosage wobbled between 3-6 mg/kg for females and 2-3 mg/kg for males. The total dosage was divided to 10 % for the first injection and 90 % for the second. The sex products was obtained after 12-14h from the second injection. The fertilized eggs were incubated in Zoug jars, at 23-25 ºC and water current of 0.5-0.7 l /min. The hatching was complete within three days. The larvae were reared in two stages the first in indoor incubators and the second in earthen ponds.

The Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca) is considered to be an urban pest along the east coast of Australia. The non-specific diet and broad habitat requirements of ibis have facilitated their successful exploitation of the urban environment. Ibis are considered a pest because they pose a threat to aircraft safety, scavenge food at waste-management sites, cafés and parks, and compete with other native species for food and habitat. This study assesses a new ibis-management technique, the application of ‘egg-oil’ to suppress hatching. On other species, egg-oiling has been shown to be environmentally safe and socially preferable to culling adult birds. Approximately 5 mL of food-grade canola oil was sprayed upon each egg, and both incubator and field trials were used to investigate the efficacy of this technique on ibis and to determine the optimal application time and frequency of egg-oil. Treatment eggs were given an application of oil during the 23-day incubation period either once per week, or once early (<7 days), mid (~14 days) or late (>18 days) incubation. All four treatments were observed to be 100% effective at preventing ibis eggs from hatching during the laboratory trial and more than 98% effective during the field trial. These results indicate that applying canola oil to ibis eggs once, at any time, during the 23-day incubation period is sufficient to prevent ibis eggs from hatching. The field trial also showed that 30% of ibis, across the four oiling treatments, continued to incubate the unviable eggs for up to 54 days longer than the normal incubation period. Given that ibis are multibrooded, raising up to three successful clutches in a breeding season, the increased time devoted to incubating oil-treated eggs could reduce the opportunity for multiple broods, compared with conventional egg destruction. The egg-oil technique offers an additional tool for land managers to conduct ibis reproduction control, which should reduce the amount of time required to conduct ibis management, consequently reducing the cost to land managers.

The requirements to the methods of embryo sex determination in an egg have been formulated and substantiated in accordance with the tightening of the previously accepted norms of cockerel culling during incubation. New methods under development for identifying and culling of egg embryos within 7 days of incubation have been analyzed, and their advantages and disadvantages have been described. Two non-invasive techniques have been identified that have some potential for commercialization in the poultry industry (infrared spectroscopy and computer vision). The purpose of the study is to determine the possibilities of a non-invasive method for determining the sex of an embryo in an egg prior to incubation based on intelligent analysis of the proposed morphometric features of poultry eggs. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time a method of determining sexual dimorphism based on the analysis of egg asymmetry parameters by three spatial coordinates determined by computer vision methods with the use of machine learning has been developed. An experimental unit for viability assessment and establishment of the necessary conditions for incubation and hatching of chicks has been developed to validate the implementation of the proposed method. It includes a smart incubator "Smart Nest", a brooder, a thermal imaging micro-camera TE-Q1, an oil-filled radiator POLARIS model PRE T 0915, an air humidifier Ergopower ER 604, a bactericidal air irradiator-recirculator DEFENDER 2-15C, a thermohygrometer RGK TH-30 and a laptop. For image acquisition, the setup utilized a Canon EOS 2000D EF-S 18-55 III Kit digital camera with a state-of-the-art CMOS sensor (22.3 × 14.9 mm) and a powerful processor. The geometric spatial digital model of each egg was artificially divided into a set of elements by software, by which the asymmetry of the egg shape was determined. In doing so, their shape indices, area, volume and perimeter were determined from the measured linear dimensions of each element. Incubation of 72 fertilized eggs of Dekalb White cross hen was carried out. Following the incubation, it was possible to reliably determine the sex of 38 chicks. Applying machine learning methods in solving binary classification problems for a small sample (38) with high dimensionality of the initial feature set yielded three final models with accuracy metrics AUC = 73–72% and F1 = 69–72%: Random Forest classifier with 4 evaluators and maximum depth of 3; Random Forest classifier with 10 evaluators and maximum depth of 5 and AdaBoost classifier with 4 decision tree evaluators and maximum depth of 3. Experimental confirmation of the relationship between the egg shape asymmetry and its sexual dimorphism will make it possible to approach the solution of the world scientific problem of reliable determination of the egg sex before incubation.

Little is known of the breeding behaviour of the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii naso (FRTBC), a large, iconic forest cockatoo, endemic to the south-west corner of Western Australia, currently listed as Vulnerable under the State Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act and under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. In this paper, we provide details of breeding behaviour of FRTBC based on observations throughout the year over 17 years, together with observations of diet and feeding behaviour over the same period. FRTBC are monogamous hollow-nesters. Breeding was recorded in all months, with peaks in autumn-winter (April– June) and spring (August–October), with few records in January and February. Breeding also varied between years, with little breeding in 1999, 2001 and 2008, but many observations in 2006 and 2009. Breeding occurred at times of fruiting of either of the principal feed trees, Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata or Marri Corymbia calophylla, so it does not depend solely on one or the other of these species. Courtship displays were noted at all times of the day, from before dawn at roost sites to dusk. In total, 205 breeding events were recorded, of which 69 (93%) of 72 nests had breeding confirmed on a second visit. Use of particular nest hollows varied considerably, with some used only once and some up to seven times. Only one egg is laid, which the female incubates for 29 to 31 days, before a nestling hatches weighing between 27 and 32 g. The female remains in the hollow during incubation and only leaves for a short period in the evening to be fed by the male, usually at dusk. The chicks are brooded for up to 10 days, after which the female leaves the nest between dawn and dusk. Pairs of birds appear to recognise each other by calls, not responding to calls by others in the area. Chicks only respond when the parent is heard. Chicks are fully feathered at 48 days. Fledgling success was estimated at 60%. Juveniles remain dependent on the adults 18 months to 2 years. Thirty-seven chicks were banded between 1997 and 2011. Juvenile-immature birds moved on average less than 3 km from their natal tree and older birds were observed moving up to 19 km. This suggests that FRTBC are generally sedentary. Immature birds took up to three times as long as their parents to open Jarrah or Marri nuts and eat the seeds. In recent years there has been an interesting change in foraging behaviour of birds in the northern Darling Range (adjacent to the Perth metropolitan area) with the FRTBC discovering and using a new food source, the introduced Cape Lilac Melia azedarach, and this species is of growing importance as food in the Perth region. In combination, the data on breeding biology and diet highlight the importance of identifying recruitment rates and food availability in managing populations of FRTBC.