International Research Journal of Advanced Engineering and Science ISSN (Online): 2455-9024 255 Kifilideen L. Osanyinpeju, Adewole A. Aderinlewo, Olayide R. Adetunji, and Emmanuel S. A. Ajisegiri, “Performance evaluation of a solar powered poultry egg incubator,” International Research Journal of Advanced Engineering and Science, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 255-264, 2018. Performance Evaluation of a Solar Powered Poultry Egg Incubator Kifilideen L. Osanyinpeju 1* , Adewole A. Aderinlewo 1 , Olayide R. Adetunji 2 , Emmanuel S. A. Ajisegiri 1 1 Agricultural and Bio-Resources Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta 2 Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta Email address: amkifilideenosanyinpeju@gmail.com, prof_4us@yahoo.com Abstract— The utilization of solar incubator would proffers solution to a major constraint of power inadequacy for commercial poultry egg incubation in Nigeria. A solar powered poultry egg incubator was developed and the main components included incubating chamber, control system and solar powered system. The developed solar incubator was 610 mm × 607 mm × 1649 mm in size with a capacity for 150 eggs. This study conducted performance evaluation on the solar powered poultry egg incubator developed. The performance parameters include, hatchability, the percentage of chicks with unabsorbed yolk, fully developed chicks but not hatched and banger (exploded eggs) which were evaluated by loading total of 147 eggs for 21 days. Throughout the period of incubation the temperature was maintained within the recommended range of 36 to 39 o C which was achieved with the aid of the temperature control system. The fertility of the eggs loaded was 64 % while the hatchability of the fertile eggs obtained was 44 %. The percentage of chicks that hatched, fully developed chicks but not hatched, chicks with unabsorbed yolk and banger (exploded eggs) were 44 %, 13 %, 40 % and 3 % respectively. The solar powered system proved to be a good source of power which could provide continuous supply throughout the period of the incubation without failing. Keywords— Egg incubator, Solar powered system, Poultry, Hatchability, Fertility, Performance evaluation. I. INTRODUCTION An incubator is a machine which provides fertilized eggs with moist warm air and artificial stirrer, as the embryo emerges into a chick in the short period of 21 days. Adeosun [1] describes incubator as box-like structure with controls for regulation of air, moisture and heat. The art of incubator by artificial means has been known for several thousand of years which is an ancient practice but it has been employed on a commercial scale only within the last 60-70 years [4]. The Chinese developed the first incubator at least as early as 246 B.C. [5] by using a mud barrel, heated with charcoals which bring about embryonic development; the eggs were turned by hand. These early incubation methods were often practiced on a large scale, a single location perhaps having capacity of 36, 000 eggs [13]. The Egyptian was first artisans to construct large incubators which was made from brick and heated by fires built in the same rooms where the eggs were incubated. According to Parkhurst and Mountney [26], the first large incubators in the United States were built in 1895 by Charles A. Cyphers. It was a 20, 000 eggs capacity room type incubator for duck eggs. NIIR Board of Consultants and Engineers [22] said that modern day hatcheries are impressive by using banks of incubators as many as one millions chicks in a week can be hatched. One of the greatest miracles of nature is the transformation of the egg into the chick. When the egg is laid and its temperature drops below about 27 o C, cell development ceases [28] until proper cell environmental conditions are established for incubation process to resume. To better carry out an investigation on hatchability it is necessary to have knowledge of the way the embryo develops from day to day. This allows the hatchery manager to determine at what age/stage embryos may have died. This is important information when attempting to identify the cause of any poor results. As reported by various researchers incubation conditions such as temperature, humidity, ventilation and turning are the most important factors significantly affecting the hatchability of poultry eggs and chick quality [9, 10, 12, 14, 33, 20, 21, 29, 32]. Meir and Ar [18] identified that the effect of temperature on the hatchability of fertile eggs had been examined by many researches. Wilson [31] reported that the increase in temperature during incubation was very critical for chick embryos. Moreover, it was revealed that growth was retarded or ceased and the incidence of poor second quality chicks increased as the temperature was raised. Temperature is a very important factor affecting embryo development hatchability [8, 31], and post hatch performance [31]. Temperature is extremely important during incubation (especially during the first week). Tazawa et al. [30] stated that chicken embryos are poikilothermic, relying on an external source (hen or incubator) to provide heat to develop and maintain normal metabolic functions. Different incubator manufacturers have different means of circulating air: paddles, blades, and fans. In most cases, it is the pattern of airflow that is most important. In a poorly maintained machine insufficient air is circulated through the mass of eggs resulting in hot and cold spots, which in turn creates slow hatches, reduced hatchability, and lower chick quality [17]. Bell and Weaver pointed out that incubator maintenance is critical to achieve optimum air flow. Since the 1930s and 1940s, the poultry industry has become one of the most efficient producers of protein for human consumption [7, 25]. It expanded rapidly during World War II because of the shortage of beef, which require a much longer time to develop; only seven weeks are required to produce a broiler and five months to produce a laying hen. More recently, in response to public concern over dietary fat,