HATCHERIES [ S.L.36.41 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 36.41
HATCHERIES REGULATIONS
25th April, 1997
LEGAL NOTICE 51 of 1997.
Title.
Interpretation. 
requires-
"Director" means the Director responsible for the veterinary
service and includes any officer of the department duly authorised
by the Director to act on his behalf;
"approved disinfectant" means such disinfectant as is approved
by the Director and appearing in the Second Schedule to these
Regulations, or any other disinfectant that the Director may
approve for specific needs;
"licensee" means a person who is licensed in terms of regulation
3 of these Regulations to keep a hatchery for the incubation and
hatching of poultry eggs;
"hatchery" means such premises as are used for the incubation
and hatching of poultry eggs which is licensed for such purpose in
terms of regulation 3 of these Regulations;
"poultry" means fowl, turkeys, geese, ducks, guinea fowls,
domestic and racing pigeons, quails, pheasants and partridges; and
"poultry eggs" means eggs of the above species.
Licence to keep a 
hatchery.
3. (1) No person shall keep any hatchery, whether as owner,
part-owner or helper, unless he holds a licence issued to him by the
Director.
(2) No premises shall be used as a hatchery unless such
premises are licensed by the Director to be used as a hatchery.
(3) The Director may only grant a licence for the keeping of a
hatchery after considering the application therefor, and that any
further requirements he may have requested the applicant to
perform prior to the granting of such licence, have actually been
complied with.
(4) The licensee shall be responsible for the running of the
hatchery according to these Regulations and the Director may at
any time revoke a licence if it is found lacking in any of the
conditions mentioned in the licence, or if in the opinion of the
Director there is a risk of spread of disease.
(5) Licences shall be valid for one calendar year, and may be
renewed from year to year.
(6) No extensions or alterations in any licensed hatchery may
be carried out unless previously authorised by the Director.
2 [ S.L.36.41 HATCHERIES
Hatcheries register. 4. The Director shall keep a hatcheries register in which there
shall be kept the following information:
( a ) the name, address and telephone number of the
licensee;
( b ) the address and telephone number of the hatchery;
( c ) the site plan and elevation plan of the hatchery; 
( d ) the name of the manager of the hatchery;
( e ) the capacity of each incubator in the hatchery; 
( f ) the type and species of poultry to be hatched.
Building 
requirements.
5. (1) The licensee shall be responsible for all areas of the
premises used in a hatchery, and such premises shall be constructed
and run as specified in the First Schedule.
(2) Any hatchery which was built and put into operation before
the coming into force of these Regulations shall be allowed to
operate by the Director although it does not comply with the
conditions set out in the First Schedule, so however that if such
hatchery ceases to cooperate for a continuous period which is
longer than six months, the licence issued to such hatchery shall be
immediately terminated by the Director and such licence shall not
be renewed:
Provided that such hatcheries mentioned in this paragraph
shall be granted in the first licence issued to them a period not
exceeding two years within which the licensees shall upgrade the
standards of their premises according to the standard hatchery
requirements as appearing in items (1) and (3) to (27) shown in the
First Schedule.
FIRST SCHEDULE
(Regulation 5)
Standard Hatchery Requirements
(1) Hatching premises must not be used for any purpose other
than the incubation and hatching of poultry eggs.
(2) Any new hatcheries shall be separate and not be in direct
contact with livestock farms, processing plants of products of
animal origin, and habitable buildings. New hatcheries shall be
sited at least 200 metres from such premises.
(3) Hatchery buildings shall include physical separation of all
working areas. Each working area shall have separate ventilation
systems or such systems whereby the air-flow shall be in the same
direction as the movement of eggs and chicks. The working areas
are the following:
( a ) egg receiving and storage;
( b ) egg traying;
( c ) fumigation;
HATCHERIES [ S.L.36.41 3
( d ) setting or initial incubation;
( e ) hatching;
( f ) sorting, sexing and boxing;
( g ) material storage;
( h ) facilities for washing equipment and disposal of waste;
( i ) restrooms and sanitary facilities;
( j ) office;
( k ) incinerator or chemical form of organic matter
disinfection.
(4) Working area walls, ceiling and floors shall be lined with
washable impervious non-friable material.
(5) The licensee shall provide clean coveralls or overalls, hats
and washable or disposable footwear for all personnel and visitors
who shall enter the hatchery through the decontamination room.
(6) A disinfectant foot bath shall be installed at the hatchery
entrance using approved disinfectants.
(7) Hatchery personnel shall be provided with an approved
disinfectant solution or soap at all times and should wash their
hands before each operation.
(8) A hatchery shall always be supplied with potable hot and
cold water and water tanks shall be clean and covered.
(9) Hatchery personnel shall have no contact with other
poultry or poultry products.
(10) A licensee shall lay out a hatchery in such a manner that
only a one-way system for the movement of eggs and chicks shall
be operated.
(11) The premises shall be screened and protected against flies,
other insects, vermin and birds.
(12) Hatchery premises shall be surrounded by a security fence
and gate to control traffic. The area within the boundary fence shall
be kept free from rodents and other animals, and insect control with
approved insecticides shall be performed by the licensee.
(13) The hatchery area shall be kept free by the licensee from
all hatchery waste, refuse and discarded equipment.
(14) Approved waste disposal methods and adequate drainage
shall be made available by the licensee.
(15) ( a ) Broilers and layers shall be hatched separately.
( b ) Pedigree, grandparent and parent stock shall be
hatched separately from each other and from broilers
and layers.
( c ) Poultry eggs of different species of birds shall be
hatched separately from each other.
(16) Poultry eggs shall be sanitised by fumigation or sprayed or
immersed in an approved egg shell disinfectant before incubation.
4 [ S.L.36.41 HATCHERIES
(17) Poultry egg handlers, chick sexers and handlers shall wash
their hands with soap and water and change into clean protective
clothing between handling of different lots of eggs and chicks.
(18) Chick sexing tables and equipment shall be cleaned and
disinfected between hatches using approved disinfectants.
(19) Day-old chicks shall be delivered in new cardboard boxes
or plastic boxes which have been cleaned and disinfected.
(20) Delivery vehicles for both eggs and chicks shall be cleaned
and disinfected before each hatch is transported.
(21) All working areas shall be cleaned and disinfected between
each hatch. All other rooms shall be cleansed and disinfected at
least once weekly.
(22) All vaccinating equipment shall be cleaned and disinfected
or sterilised between hatches.
(23) A licensee whose name is registered in the hatcheries
register shall allow the Director or any inspector authorised by the
Director to inspect the premises and view registers or any other
records on demand.
(24) When the Director shall take any samples from a hatchery,
a receipt for such samples shall be given to the licensee. Records of
samples taken and results shall be made available to the licensee.
(25) The following registers shall be kept on the hatchery:
( a ) an incubator register including dates of incubation, an
identification distinguishing the producer, the eggs
available for hatching and the types and quantity of
eggs;
( b ) a cleaning and disinfection register;
( c ) a movements and numbers register of eggs (in) and
chicks (out) of the hatchery with dates, origin of eggs,
destination and chicks;
( d ) a register of dates of hatching and number of hatched
chicks;
( e ) a register of the number of incubated eggs withdrawn
from an incubator and the destination of such eggs.
(26) The packing of chicks shall comply with regulations issued
for imported chicks.
(27) Persons registered in the hatchery register shall submit a
monthly report to the Director with the following information:
( a ) the number of poultry eggs for hatching placed in
incubators and relative dates;
( b ) an identification of the type of poultry to be hatched;
( c ) the number of birds hatched and identification thereof
by type as follows:
1. female grandparent or parent chicks; 
2. female layers;
HATCHERIES [ S.L.36.41 5
3. cockerels for sexing; 
4. broilers;
5. ducks; 
6. geese;
7. guinea fowls; 
8. turkeys;
9. domestic pigeons; 
10. racing pigeons; 
11. quails;
12. pheasants;
13. partridges;
14. others.
SECOND SCHEDULE
(Regulation 2)
List of Approved Disinfectants
(1) HATCHERY Chlorine
EQUIPMENT Iodine
Phenol
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
(2) WATER Chlorine
DISINFECTANT Iodine
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
(3) PERSONNEL Chlorine
Iodine
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
(4) EGG WASHING Chlorine
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
(5) FLOOR AND Phenol
FOOT BATHS Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
(6) ROOMS Iodine
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
