If Pre-Storage Heating Improve the Hatchability and Decreased Embryonic Mortality of Broiler Breeder Eggs Stored for Long Period

Abstract

The experiment was conducted on 1080 fertile eggs (average 62 grams weight) collected from AL-SHROUK breeder farms of 34 weeks old breeding flock. This eggs were randomly divided into 3 groups of 360 eggs according to storage period (7, 14 and 21 days) and subdivide into 4 groups of 90 eggs each according to warming treatments (0, 4, 8 and 12 hours) at 37.5°C, after the warming treatments eggs placed for two hours in setter hall and back into cooler operating at 16 – 18oC and 60 – 80% relative humidity until end of all storage time. Egg storage until 7 days showed the best significantly values for fertile eggs, fertility%, hatchability%, hatchability of fertile eggs%, average chick weight. However storage until 21 days showed the highest significantly number of un-hatched eggs and showed the highest number of total embryonic morality and weight losses. Pre-hating at 4 hours showed the highest significantly values for hatchability percentage and hatchability of fertile eggs percentage but Pre-hating at 12 hours showed the highest significantly number of un-hatched eggs and showed the highest number of total embryonic morality without any significant effect. Interaction between storage periods and pre-heating treatments showed significantly effect on hatchability percentage, hatchability of fertile eggs percentage, chick weight, un-hatched egg, embryonic mortality, percentages of chick weight before and after storage, and dead chicks.