Hatchery Tips from Jamesway’s Technical Team

Essential Hatchery Toolsby Phillip Perry

HATCHERY TOOLS FOR A JAMESWAY HATCHERYby Phillip Perry, Consultant and Technical Advisor

Phillip is a former hatchery manager and has spent his life in the incubation/poultry world. His input on managing a hatchery is invaluable. We hope you enjoy his article on hatchery tools.

The Bitter Taste of Poor Quality Lingers Long after the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten.

Probably the best piece of advice I got when I started to work for Jamesway as a consultant to hatcheries was to carry my own tools. The truth is that often the hatcheries I would visit would not have the proper tools for the job, they would be broken or just too ‘cheap’ to work properly; sometimes they simply could not be found.

A basic set of tools should always be available at every hatchery for routine maintenance and trouble-shooting so I have created a check list which should outline the most essential tools for managing your hatchery.

BASIC HAND TOOLSScrewdrivers – A multi tool screwdriver is handy and with an assortment of bits eliminates the need to carry around a pouch full of screw and nut drivers. Electric Screwdrivers - Manually screwing and tightening can be a killer on the arms and wrist. There are many electric screwdrivers available with plenty of torque such as the Dewalt 8-volt. These hold a myriad screwdriver bits to use the correct driver for the job. Jamesway equipment requires Slotted, Philips, and Robertson drivers.

Pliers – Linesman’s, needle nose, Channellocks, vise grips etc... An assortment of pliers is needed in the hatchery tool box for various gripping and cutting jobs. Needle nose pliers are great for inserting (or removing) wire in terminal blocks.

Wrenches – All Jamesway equipment uses SAE American Standard. Ratchet wrenches enable you to work more quickly and efficiently. You also have an easier time fastening or removing bolts and nuts in cramped spaces. An adjustable wrench is also a great pocket tool to carry when doing machine checks.Handy sizes 3/8” for damper adjustment and 7/16” for airlines.

Other Tools • Cordless drill and bits. • VOM Multimeter. • Socket Set (SAE).• Measuring Tape.• Hammer• Flashlight.

A VOM multi-meter is a combination of a multi-range DC/AC voltmeter, ammeter, and ohmmeter. Measurements needed for Jamesway electronic equipment.

Some of the Jamesway machines have specific tool requirements which have been developed by Jamesway or are part of our recommendation for optimization of machine performace. The following tools pertain to our Multi-Stage machines.

HA1145 Incubator rack testing device, connects to rack turn cords to test left and right turning. The turning of your eggs is essential so always want to be sure of your rack’s ability to turn. This device will help to detect a turn failure before it affects your hatch. Test racks with eggs in egg storage before setting eggs in

your incubator.

A Clamp Amp Meter is an electrical device with jaws to allow clamping around heater rods. This allows measurement of the current without the need to make physical contact.

SPECIFIC TOOLS FOR MULTI-STAGE

Incubators should measure 12-14 amps, Hatchers 7-8 amps.

ECU Water Flow Tester

This device can be attached to the ECU water return and includes a flow meter to assess the GPMs, dial thermometer to check water temperature and pressure gauge to check water pressure coming out of ECU. This helps to optimize the equipment and maintain high standards in your hatchery.

Brass Couplers HA1143P ACIPlastic Coupler HA1153 P1 Shark Bite HA1160 P2

P80-P120 incubators have greater water requirements than other machines as they have two (2) ECUs compared to one (1) ECU for other machines.

Easily disconnect Shark Bite fittings in hard to reach places with Disconnect Tongs. Jamesway uses ½” Shark Bite Fittings

CO2 Calibration

The carbon dioxide sensor should be checked regularly to ensure continued sensor accuracy. There are two options for calibration: either a gas meter or calibration gas. Jamesway sells the HA1155 CO2 meter and calibration gas with regulators can be purchased on line or from a local gas company.If calibration is necessary, perform the zero point calibration first, followed by span calibration.

SPECIFIC TOOLS FOR SINGLE-STAGE

For temperature calibration Jamesway recommends the HA1070 Digital Thermometer with HA1071 plastic probe. The HA1152 temperature and humidity is very useful for calibration between your machines, ventilation software, communication systems and displays, etc. Part of every hatchery technician’s toolkit. Be sure to request certification when ordering to ensure accuracy.

Always label and keep the same probe with same digital thermometer since probes are only calibrated to a specific digital thermometer. Temperature can vary when sharing multiple instruments and probes.

TEMPERATURE CALIBRATION SS AND MS

Properly controlled ventilation is essential to the success of any hatchery and Jamesway provides the Guardian HVAC control system to give customers the control they need.

The HA1150 Handheld digital manometer measures differential pressures in a wide variety of applications for room and Multi-Stage equipment. A simple way to check if the current air supply into a setter/hatcher room is adequate is to measure the room pressure.

When measuring room pressure while within a room, place one end of tubing on (-) port and place the other end outside, with the (+) port open to the space being measured.

A calibrated humidity and temperature measuring device is also a must, for calibrating your sensors. We recommend using the Electrotherm, as you can measure both in one convenient device (part HA1152).

A reliable multimeter, with the ability to measure current, is also necessary, for troubleshooting the system.

A good set of electrical screwdrivers are necessary for replacing components and testing.

An anaemometer is a good reference tool to give you an idea of the airflow from your units.

VENTILATION TOOLS

Whether used to control your machine, or just as a tool to give the feedback necessary to fine-tune your profiles, Pilot and Hatchsense are invaluable tools giving insight into what is actually happening in your machine. What better way to check on your eggs than to see the eggshell temperature, or check on your chicks by confirming movement and a humidity peak.

The Pilot System is a sensor system that accurately and consistently monitors the temperature of eggs in an incubator. It ensures that the temperature settings inside the incubator are adequately adjusted to provide the proper amount of heating and cooling for ideal embryo development.

HatchSense comprises sensors that are attached to a stack of plastic hatcher baskets. HatchSense automatically monitors the eggs, detects when the first birds hatch, and adjusts the environment to decrease the hatch window (the time from the first to the last chick hatching).

PILOT AND HATCHSENSE

HATCHCOM

The final most important tool is Hatchcom. Having real-time data from your ventilation and incubators and hatchers gives you the most power in running your hatchery. Hatchcom also gives you the unique ability to profile your multi-stage hatchers, as well as to schedule your Guardian HVAC controls. This degree of fine tuning is precisely what is needed to produce exceptional chicks.

As with all systems, there will be occasional mechanical breakdown or electronic failure. Unfortunately for technicians and those on call this usually occurs 2 a.m. on weekends. Always be aware of safety concerns and identify the hazards.Before opening the control box or panel, an inspection of the appropriate mechanical operations may uncover the source of a problem. Are several units alarming or just one? Are the inputs correct – power, hot and cold water, air, humidity supply?

Charts in Operation Manuals outline a course of action to be followed beyond the mechanical operations and into the electronic board level of our Control Systems. By following these flow charts you can, by process of elimination, solve most problems. Manuals Page for troubleshooting guidePT 100 81 PS 501 73P1 SS 93P2 SS 71Guardian Complete GuideFor copies of User’s Manuals go to https://www.jamesway.com/salesnet-ii/technical/materials-available-for-customer-distribution

One common method that I like to use is the split-half troubleshooting approach: With a problem resulting from a number of possibilities in the flow chart, one tests half-way down the line of components. If the middle component works, one goes to the middle of the remaining parts, approaching the end. If the test finds a problem at the mid-point, one does a split towards the start of the line until the problem part is found. The split-half process can save time when the flow chart has many components to test. I also advise to read through the complete chart before attempting to diagnose.

A good approach to troubleshooting is to ask “What is the simplest thing that can be wrong”

TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS

Practical spare part management is the foundation for reliable hatchery operation and is crucial to its success. A spare parts inventory does not have to be all-encompassing to be effective. To achieve better control over inventory, define and categorize spares. Designations such as “critical” spares can help you prioritize your inventory.

The most typical cause for out of stock parts is the delay that may exist within a supply chain (internally/externally).Properly storing and organizing spare parts in a designated, secure space is beneficial when a crucial part needs replaced. Some hatcheries have more than one incubator type and it is easy for parts to get mixed. Some Jamesway hatcheries have Multi-Stage, P1, and P2 within the same hatchery. A prompting for reorder will not take place if a part is taken without a record. Likewise, if new stock is placed on the shelf without a record, it cannot be accounted for. A review and analysis of your storage and check-out system can reveal reasons for stock inaccuracies.

Jamesway’s online parts store makes it easy to add parts to your cart the minute you are using them, rather than waiting to call in during business hours. www.jameswayparts.com

Used parts can often accumulate during a desperate emergency trying to get a machine back on. They may or may not work and should be tested at a more convenient time or thrown out.

Remember……When in doubt…Throw it out!

ORGANIZING SPARE PARTS