Patent ID: 8272352

Claim:
A compartment within an incubator, the incubator being an apparatus by which eggs are hatched artificially under controlled environmental conditions, the compartment enabling chicks to feed during hatching without reducing hatchability or livability, the compartment comprising: (a) an incubator egg tray, having an egg tray bottom, and at least one egg tray wall, the incubator egg tray configured to hold eggs of chicks such that the eggs do not roll out of the incubator egg tray; and (b) at least one trough disposed inside said incubator egg tray, the at least one trough having a trough bottom, and at least one trough wall that is a back wall projecting upward from the trough bottom, the compartment configured to include both the at least one trough and the incubator egg tray so as to enable, in the same compartment within the incubator, (i) hatching of chicks and (ii) feeding of the chicks during hatching, the at least one trough holding feed suitable for newly hatched chicks; a lighting source in the compartment, the lighting source configured to allow newly hatched chicks to see the feed in the at least one trough, yet the lighting source not emitting, when the lighting source is on, an amount of heat sufficient to heat eggs within said incubator egg tray prior to hatching, the incubator, including the compartment, not having a heating source configured, in terms of amount of heat emitted and in terms of location within the incubator, to heat any eggs in the incubator egg tray prior to hatching so as to cause premature hatching of said eggs, even under circumstances where there are eggs dispersed within said incubator egg tray, the incubator having controlled environmental conditions suitable for the eggs of the chicks prior to hatching and suitable for newly hatched chicks.