Poultry egg processing method

Poultry eggs are collected from nesting houses (Fig 3) and delivered to a sanitising station (Fig 7) where they are passed through sprays 56 of an anti-bacterial solutions 55. The eggs are mounted on mobile racks and delivered to a fumigating room (Fig 8a, 86). After fumigation, the eggs are held in a setting room (Fig 9) at a controlled temperature and humidity, the eggs being regularly turned within the setting room (see Fig 10). Downstream of the setting room 72 at a checking station (Figs 11 + 12) trays of eggs are back lit to check fertility, infertile eggs being discarded. The fertile eggs are transferred into hatching trays by means of a suction cup matrix 92 and incubated, male and female chicks are separated. Selected chicks are delivered to a vaccinating station (Figs 15-17) for vaccination, and then to delivery trays 112 Fig 20. Apparatus for washing trays is disclosed at Figs 18-19.