Job description
Role Purpose:
Responsible for calibrating setters and hatchers to achieve 100% accuracy, aiming to yield premium quality chicks across the Agric Inland Northern Region Hatcheries.
Qualification & Experience
• Matric/ Grade 12
• Diploma in Agricultural Science will be an advantage.
• Five years hatchery experience
• Knowledge of the incubation process
• Knowledge on technical based on Maintenance, problem solving for a Hatchery environment.
• Code 10 drivers’ license
Key Responsibilities
Receiving and Grading:
• Receiving of eggs from laying farms or external
• Ensure that 100% clean eggs are received from Laying Sites
• Verification that correct total amount of eggs received from Laying Sites
• Verify eggs received and dispatched
• Recording of egg core temperatures
• Co-ordinating and management of the egg bank
• Use torch to check for hairline cracks on eggs
• Physical verification of stock daily
• Accurate labelling of eggs when receiving
Egg/Cold room:
• Egg stock management/retention
• Daily reconciliation of stock
• Monitoring of temperatures in egg/cold room
• Daily egg core temperature checks and verification
• Maintain daily housekeeping
• Ensure cold room are kept clean
• Weekly washing and disinfection of egg room
• Hygiene monitoring – swabs to be taken as per Sampling Schedule
• Turning of eggs in cold room
• Preparation of eggs to be set
• Setting and weighing of eggs for incubators
• Use of UV light to check quality (clean/dirty) eggs
• Control and management of egg age
• Rejecting, discarding and sales of old eggs
• Use of Moba grater to determine egg grams on young flock
• Physical egg stock count weekly
Setter Incubators:
• Monitoring of environmental conditions and pressures including hygiene
• Planning and monitoring of setting of eggs in the incubators
• Planning and monitoring of transfers into the Hatchers
• Monitoring of embryo temperatures
• Record and monitor water loss.
• Monitor and record accuracy of incubators
• Fogging of setter incubators
• Monitoring and recording of temperatures and humidity in Incubators
• 18 day weighing of eggs
• 10 Day Candling of eggs to check for fertility
• Transferring of eggs to the Hatchers
• Check shell/embryo temperatures with Braun Scan
• Calibration of setter’s incubators for optimize operation
• Ensure calibration equipment are send for annual calibration
• Do spides (short period of incubation) as per procedure for old eggs
Hatcher Incubators:
• Ensure baskets are dry during transfer off eggs into the Hatchers
• Ensuring fumigation is done as per schedule and procedure
• Monitoring and recording of temperatures and humidity in Hatchers
• Ensure Hatch window are done as per procedure
• Taken samples on a weekly base as per sampling schedule in the Hatchers
• Calibration of Hatchers are correct
Chick Take Off/Chick holding room:
• Chick quality (chick assessment, vent temperatures, chick hatch weight)
• Hatch Report (chick movement and hatchability)
• See to the smooth operation of this department
• Check correct eggs being transferred into hatchers.
• Supervise chick take off
• Dispatch chicks to farms as per customer arrangement and requirement
• Be familiar with the RPM and employment procedures as applicable to his section
• Accountable for the training and development of his labour, maintenance of standards and discipline
• Accountable for the security of products, materials and assets in his section
• Accountable for the immediate remedial action and reporting of variance from standard
• He has an obligation to be on call in the cases of emergency in addition to his normal schedule and must leave contactable telephone numbers when off site
• Management of the house keeping areas as specified by the manager
• Verification of eggs when transferring and recording of egg breakages to records.
• He must ensure that correct eggs are transferred
• Egg breakouts to be conducted on Hatch day or following day to determine poor hatches.
• Eggs will be sent to the laboratory on poor hatches for analyses regards to disease
• Status, plus results reported to Hatchery manager
• Spot check counts in boxes daily
• Ensure that labourers are thorough in the removal of cracks at transfer via manual or Embrex machine
• Check hatchers are operating correctly before and after transfer
• Monitor chick quality during take-off and bring to the attention of the foreman incubation or Hatchery manager any variances in quality and quantity immediately.
• Eggs must be collected for breakout, 3 egg trays of 132 egg trays
• Maintenance of vaccine ordering, preparation, application and usage control
• Liaison with Production clerk and Agric planner regarding chick dispatch
• Maintenance of plant and equipment in his section
• Timely daily reporting of complement and recording in attendance register
• Ensuring accurate documentation in his section
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Published Date: 10 February 2026
Closing Date: 24 February 2026
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