New life for used incubators

Professional commercial hatcheries often invest in new equipment, such as incubators and related inventory. However, for other hatcheries, used incubators may be a good alternative. Hatchcon trades and installs such inventories.

By Ad Bal

“A hatchery does not necessarily need to be fully equipped with brand new equipment. Used incubators can also be very functional,” says John Torsius, who runs Hatchcon in the Netherlands, supplying used incubators and equipment to hatcheries in many countries in Europe, Central Asia and Africa. “We supply good quality equipment for about 30% of the expenses of a fully newly-equipped hatchery. Of course that is not the latest technology, but everything works properly.”

Torsius also owns and runs a hatchery himself, currently hatching parent stock for Cobb and previously AA and Hybro. As such, he has become a hatchery specialist with over 25 years of experience, giving consultancy everywhere. In that role, he noticed a demand for used incubators and he started searching for such equipment for his customers. This turned out to be satisfactory and he decided to extend these activities. This was also enhanced by the fact that avian influenza in the Netherlands in 2003 almost swept him out of the hatchery business. Hatchcon saved him from that.

Maximum 10 years old

Through intensive networking in the hatchery business, Torsius managed to find used inventories, as well as many interested customers. Usually such customers have no need for a fully equipped high-tech hatchery, or don’t have the resources. In such cases, a second-hand inventory could be the perfect solution. Used incubators most often come from hatcheries that have discontinued their business, went bankrupt, or are expanding and renewing the facilities. Torsius travels to such hatcheries to observe and check if the equipment is still in proper working order, and if it may still be used for at least another 15 years. If he is confident that such is the case, he buys and dismantles it. Consequently, everything is shipped to a hall near the Hatchcon facilities in the Netherlands. All parts are checked and if necessary repaired and tested there, and then the completely restored hatchery inventory is shipped again to its new destination.

Theoretically, it can be that a complete used hatchery inventory comes from Jordan, is shipped to the Netherlands for checking, repairing and testing, and is then shipped to its new owner who may be in Yemen. Hatchcon only trades in HatchTech, Pas Reform and Petersime equipment.

Installation and service

Torsius does not want to run the risk that technical problems will occur after installation, so he ensures that all the equipment is in good technical order. Because they have fully checked and repaired everything prior to rebuilding, he has full confidence in the technical condition of the incubators and all related equipment he offers.
Torsius sells the entire hatchery including installation, so Hatchcon’s technical staff travel to the site and build everything according to the standards of the original manufacturer.

“We will see for ourselves that all conditions are okay and that everything is working properly.” Together with the customer, everything is checked. “We promise to install a well functioning hatchery,” he says. “If later there is a problem then we supply parts or advice or even visit the hatchery again to solve the matter ourselves. We say what we do and we do what we say. I can loose my good name only once.”