Universal Egg Incubation System for Hatching using Atemga328P, Proteus Design Tool and IoT

Dr. Sunitha H D1, Niranjan L2, Bhanuprakasha Rajesh D P3, Pooja R4, Supritha B K5

12345Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, R R Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India

ABSTRACT-

Poultry is one of the birds farming methods wherein the yield in the form of chicken eggs are harvested whose yield can be enhanced by integrating traditional methods (as against growing eggs in labs) and technology. The most crucial part of this is to have the right incubator to ensure the health of the eggs are fine for consumption. Natural ways of incubation could never be met until the technological aspect was integrated. As a pre-requisite, it is mandatory to maintain the right humidity, ventilation and temperature along with oscillating the eggs at regular intervals to mimic the natural incubators of hen. In order to achieve this, the incubator is connect and controlled through a remote device by means of cloud connectivity (IoT). The sensors within the incubation chamber constantly monitors the temperature, humidity and ventilation that aids the eggs to hatch mimicking its natural incubation. One of the most important aspects along with the maintenance of humidity, temperature and ventilation is also the oscillation of the eggs to ensure the yolk and Albumen does not stick itself it its inner shell and also provide right air in the air sacks. Tilting the eggs at 45o and 55o

were achieved to evaluate the percentage of success at these two tilt angles. The microcontroller obtaining the data inputs from the sensors decides on changing its temperature, humidity, tilting and ventilation to mitigate the risk of failure of hatching. The system is connected to the cloud thro Node MCU, through which the user can control and also monitor the

status of the incubator. This incubator has been tested on hen and duck eggs.

Keywords-IoT, Microcontroller, Setter, Brooder, Temperature and Humidity, Hatchability.

I. INTRODUCTION

There are two main types of hatching of chicken eggs involved. They are natural & artificial. Natural hatching involves the hen warming the eggs and also manually (by its legs) tilts it at regular intervals. Artifical hatching involves incubating the eggs in an incubator where the temperature, egg rolling, humidity, ventilation are artificially provided by the sensors as decided by the microcontroller. The greatest advantage of this incubator is its success ratio where it is nearly equal to natural hatching. Also added with it is the bulk of eggs that could be hatched at a time across the seasons in the artificial nursery. Though incubation is a primitive activity, artificially incubation is relatively new and integrating IoT into it is a novice. The incubator explained here serves the demand for bulk qty eggs in a relatively low cost set up. Though artificial incubation in India is prevalent, the cost of the incubator and its limited capacity makes it economically unviable for commercial exploitation. The technicalities of adding egg tilting/ rotation, maintaining humidity, temperature and provision of ventilation along with heating the temperature within the incubator adds more cost, however, all of these are taken care in this incubator to make it a cost effective equipment. The delicacy of artificial incubation is quite drudgery since

slight variation of incubation parameters of temperature, humidity, ventilation and titling timings are in very minute tolerance limits and a small deviation on either ends yields to unsuccessful hatching where the limits are to be precisely maintained. For the same reason, the artificial incubators are shut down in winter season fearing low yield foreseeing financial losses. Further, lack of intricate technical knowledge and financial support renders small hatchers unviable. The proposed incubator leverages the technological advancements made through microcontrollers which turn out to be inexpensive, capable of handling minuscule changes that demand in its environment and possible for bulk quantities come as a boon to the farmers.

In order to have a effective and successful poultry business, the foremost aspect that drives it is its fertilization. The incubation period of 21 days is required in order to hatch the eggs into chicken by means of monitoring temperature, humidity and turnover of the eggs. The natural factors such as temperature, humidity, rotating of eggs and the moisture content is to be precisely maintained in order to achieve good results, failing with it ends up with a loss. Therefore, the necessity arose to have a system that can continuously monitors and maintains these factors regularly in order to keep the eggs healthy. This is achieved by means of technology by incorporating a programmed microcontroller to activate the heat source (incandescent lamp) and keep the fan off. After exhaustive research and studies, the desired natural parameters have been arrived at and these values are fed into the threshold values. The basic necessity for the eggs to hatch is heat fed naturally by the hen sitting on them giving warmth or in this case, through heat source controlled artificially. If the temperature drops below the threshold, the heat source switches ON. If the heat source increases beyond the threshold, automatically the heat source is

switched off and the exhaust is turned on which maintains the temperature. Likewise, the sources of humidity is also achieved to be precise as set by the machine. This set-up provides aids for large No of eggs as against a few in natural method. Special care is taken to consider the construction of the incubator box which minimises losses of temperature and humidity and also employs a novel way in sourcing heat that reduces the overall power consumption and maximises the area in order to accommodate more number of egg trays than what is currently available in the market, which turns out to be more economically viable. The incubator is so designed so as to avoid cross ventilation, i.e., entry & exit of outside ambient atmosphere into the box and vice –versa. This further helps in power consumption as less amount of time is spent in maintaining the internal temperatures, thereby increasing productivity by reducing rejections and losses. Premature development of embryos begins at temperatures above 22.2o C (72 ° F). At a temperature of 37 ° C, the humidity is kept at about 57% for a small incubator, and post 18 days, the humidity is designed to raised to 70% and the temperature is made to drop to 36° until the embryo matures and emerges. Good ventilation is one of the fore most important criteria to consider for the incubator and the working area for the incubator operation. Problems can occur if the eggs are improperly stored or if it is stored for more than seven days. The greatest advantage this incubator posses over natural method is the success rate of hatching. In the natural process, the chicken post hatching seldom survives as it is exposed to other elements including diseases and their survival is low. However, in this case, since the eggs are not exposed to harsh environments and other unhygienic conditions, the survival rate is high. Further, this incubator can be used to hatch more eggs at a fraction of the cost of other incubators since it accommodates more eggs and also consumes relatively less power. This

paper is aimed at increasing the number of naturally produced chickens; the number of newly hatched chicks that survive naturally is very low because they are exposed to disease, hygiene and weather conditions, but the artificial method can solve these problems. Over the years, incubators have been cleaned and developed, so they are almost completely automatic.

1.1Types of incubators

The artificial incubators can be of two main types, viz., still air incubators and forced air incubators. The still air incubator consists of a heating element, an egg tray to store and rotate eggs, a sensor for accessing incubator air temperature, a container for storing water that aids in hydration and a hygrometer for measuring humidity. In the still air type of incubators, the air within the incubator circulates through convection. Since the hot air tends to rise above the colder air, there is continuous movement of air within the system thereby maintaining constant temperature through out. The colder air at the bottom heats up and rises while the hot air at top, as it gets cooler, tends to sink down thereby again aiding it to heat up. The air flowing in the incubator is determined by the amount of air inside the incubator box to the ratio of outside air. In the incubator, since there is continuous movement of air due to difference in temperature, measurements of temperature are obtained at regular staggered locations. The forced incubator is aimed at effectively handling the temperature gradient problem. In this type of incubator, uniform temperature is maintained with the air of a fan used for circulating of air within the incubator that further helps in maintaining of constant temperature around the eggs. This method reduces fracture, damage, and premature egg incubation. Some of the factors that affect egg production are: temperature, humidity, egg turnover, cleaning and cutting, smoke removal, duration of storage,

among others. To satisfy this great demand for big hatchery, hens need to increase production rate of eggs, which not only leads to infection of fertilized eggs.The higher yield in hatcheries is achieved by means of artificial incubators, obviously for their sheer size and capacity to incubate large number of eggs in a naturally simulated environment. This methodology yields highest survival rates of chicken which are not only healthy but also possesses genetic potential.

II. PROPOSED METHOD

Accurate and precise measurements of the environmental parameters within the incubator are obtained by means of highly sensitive instruments wherein sensors collect the data on temperature, humidity, angle of egg tilt, water level, and intensity of light. The system utilizes Atmega328P to control all the peripherals which are connected to the system. This controller is fast enough and also possesses the ability to run multiple programs. DHT11 digital sensor is used to obtain the temperature & humidity. Incorporating an incandescent lamp as the heat source reduces substantial power consumption as against using heater. High efficiency fans are used to circulate the heated air within the chamber to maintain required temperature. A humidifier is used to maintain the pre set humidity in the entire internal system. A standard widely available 16x2 LCD display unit is integrated to the electronic module that is used as a display unit. The outputs from all the sensors are connected to the heart of the incubator, which gives the command to power on or off the desired peripheral connected to it, as deemed fit. A battery is also employed for backup purposes. IoT and Node MCU (ESP8266) are used to integrate on the smart phone that provides the overall monitoring and configuration to the user.

Fig.1 Block diagram of propose method

II. HARDWARE DESIIGN

A. ARDUINO

Arduino Nano/UNO are well-known development tools which gives convenient ports for analogue and digital integration with the pin setup. Coding turns Arduino Nano / UNO into a smart device which upon reception of data and signals from various sensors of the incubator, makes a smart decision to power on the respective device like heat source, dehumidifier, humidifier, cooler, etc that needs to provide the incubator with a healthy environment for the eggs which increases its survival rate. The data within the information is available at the LCD for ready read out and also integrates a controller, wherein the controller permits the user to set the hatching environment parameters as favourable for the eggs within incubator to set to the desired parameters.

B. Node MCU

EPS8266 is incorporated as a Node MCU in an open source development program based on a widely used module. The ESP8266 is an independent Wi-Fi module solution that provides seamless connectivity. It acts as a host or allows other host to be downloaded to the system. Node MCU is utilized to keep the

relevant data such as humidity, temperature, rotation of eggs and ventilation onto the memory and serves to post this feature on a cloud server for ease of access.

C. LCD

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen is an electronic display module and can be used for various purposes. The 16x2 LCD display is a much needed module and is used as part of various devices and circuits. These modules are preferred over seven segment and other product more than one segment LEDs. Since the LCD screens are relatively large areas and support a variety of characters as against the limited characters of the seven segment, they are used, including the flexibility to change the font size and custom characters along with each characters positioning and spacing. The added advantage of animation weighs over the 7 segment display. The display provides the desired incubator data to the user.

D. Lamp

The incandescent lamp is used in place of power guzzler heating coils as they are relatively inexpensive and dramatically cuts down the running cost. The lamps are also highly efficient since the heat generated by the incandescent lamps are adequate to heat up the incubator to sufficient temperatures. Since the lamp filament itself acts as a heating spring, which is protected by an inert gas inside the glass chamber, no additional protection is desired.

E. Humidifier

Humidifier is a device which introduces humidity into the enclosed incubator. Primarily, it is an electrical device which generates and pumps water vapour or steam to increase moisture levels in the air within the incubator (humidity). Presence of moisture reduces skin dehydration and improves body temperature from birth, but it does not delay the normal skin

development. Hatched chicken nursed without moisture often become hypothermic despite the high air temperature in the incubator. In incubator, the humidity is kept at about 50-60% for initial 18 days and thereafter it is increased to 70% during hatching.

F. Fan

A fan is a simple mechanical circulator machine that circulates the air within the incubator to evenly distribute. The fan plays an important role in the incubator which aids continuous circulation and maintenance of temperature and humidity all around the incubator which would be favourable for the eggs to hatch. The hot air generated through the heat source is pumped throughout the incubator to increase the temperature. In case of increased temperature, the cold is circulated to contain the high temperature. Likewise, even the moisture from the humidifier is spread uniformly across the incubator to maintain constant humidity. Thus, the fan plays an integral part of maintaining the required favourable parameters within the incubator for health of eggs and healthy survival of chicks.

G. Relay

Relays are miniature electromagnetic switches that are controlled by minute electrical signals from the controller. A small current makes or breaks the relay circuit which in turn switches OFF or ON the corresponding load connected to it like air circulator, humidifier, heater etc. The incubator, being fully automatic and smart, decides on itself based on the sensor input of a pre determined parameter to operate the required apparatus without human intervention.

H. DHT11 Sensor

The DHT11 sensor is generally a temperature and humidity sensor that has an operating range between 3.3v to 5.5v. Temperature and humidity, being the main factors for healthy

hatching, the DHT11 sensor plays a crucial role. The primary role is to quantify the temperature and humidity. It has a humidity range between 40% to 99% ( ± 5%) and temperature varies between 30°C to 40°C ( ± 1°C). The relative humidity of the incubator should be maintained at around 60% for the first 18 days and should then be increased in the last three days.

I. Egg Rotation

It is mandatory to mimic near natural conditions to have high yield and low mortality rate. It is observed that the hen, every couple of hours rotates its eggs upon which it sits and this ensures that the embryo within the shell does not stick to it and is also not void of all the nutrients it deserves. The same thing is achieved in the incubator by low-speed DC motors wherein the eggs are tilted to 45 ° angle periodically so as to ensure the embryo is not trapped. In order to obtain the near accurate placement and timing, the eggs have to be turned at least five times a day. It is important to select the eggs in the first week when there is no body fat. The duration, periodicity and angle of egg rotation is pre-programmed (programmable by the user) and is automated within the incubator.

J. Ventilation of Air:

Incubator demands fresh air for embryotic development. The fresh air provided by the incubator is adequate to overcome the lack of oxygen. Fresh air is specially needed during incubation, especially in the last three or four days. It is during this time, the respiratory rate of the embryo is higher than ever.

K. Sanitation:

It is not just desirable, but mandatory to maintain hygiene. Sanitation is to be maintained to avoid contaminants, fungi, viruses, and bacteria that can cause serious damage to embryonic life. The conditions that aid the

growth of the embryo are also favourable for growth of bacteria. Hence, measures are to be taken to fight the bacteria, but they will help the aid for the embryo to grow.

L. Implementation of the modelFigure 2 shows the temperature and humidity level in the incubator.

Fig. 2 Design implementation

Fig. 3: Egg positioning in the incubator

Figure 3 shows eggs carefully positioned inside the incubator chamber and tilting/ turning the egg tray with the help of low speed DC motor. Two 60 watt bulbs, used as heat source are placed on top and bottom of incubator chamber to maintain the temperature. The heat is circulated evenly within the incubator by means of circulating fan, which also evenly distributes fresh air and humidity.

Fig. 4: Internal view of designed Incubator

Figure 4 shows the internal view of incubator. The incubator is designed to hold a maximum of 56 eggs per tray. The materials so selected to build the incubator are carefully selected to suit the incubator ensuring that it is commonly available and easily accessible to maintain the price of the incubator. Figure 5 indicates the housing of the incubation chamber. The incubator has setter and brooder in a single unit. In setter unit, eggs were placed up to 18 days for embryo development, thereafter, the eggs are shifted to the brooder unit during hatching. The upper compartment contains the heart of the incubator, i.e., electronic elements such as the microcontroller, the LCD display, among others. All other apparatus like sensors, motors, heat source, humidifier, air circulator among others are placed inside.

IV. Software design

The Arduino IDE manages the control firmware and Incubator system operation. Arduino IDE is an open source architecture that makes it easy to write and download code on the UNO / NANO Arduino board. The program's environment is written in embedded C, but it simplifies it to be an easy-to-use program. Arduino UNO is an automation tool. The code uploaded to the Arduino controls the temperature and humidity of the Arduino DHT11 by reading. The resulting humidity and temperature is also displayed on

the LCD screen. Considering that something malfunctioned during the incubation, the Arduino provides an audible alarm by turning on the buzzer and an error message appears on the Arduino, displayed on the LCD Panel.

V. Hatch Rate

Fig. 5: Shows the hatching rate

Figure 5 shows the hatching rate of the eggs. Totally 56 eggs were kept in the incubator, among those 52 eggs were hatched. The total hatching percentage came to 93%.

VI. Conclusion

This incubator was conceptualised, designed and constructed keeping in mind the sole intention of having a large scale/ small scale hatcher at affordable cost, not only of the incubator, but also that of its running cost with substantial survival/ hatch rate at near natural hatching state. This incubator is prepared for chicken and duck eggs. The current incubator combines the incubator and brooder in the same room. The exact parameters within the incubator will be displayed on the LCD screen. Smart egg incubator monitoring has been developed and implemented by IoT and successfully implemented in this case. The smart console is designed in such a way to ensure the right conditions within the incubator for healthy fetal development. The compact incubator can accommodate huge number of eggs, which is impossible to be done in a natural way. Apart from that, the eggs were also well fertilized with little or no infected eggs. During the hatching

test, the eggs were collected from breeders, free from infection or infertility problems, and the chickens were found to be in good health, good size, and 100% incubated. Farmers of this incubator can confidently rely on poultry farming on a small scale and can also be used in egg embryo research and laboratory work.

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