Impact of hatching systems and different storage periods on hatching parameters of broiler breeder eggs

Abstract

This experiment hypothesized that using on farm hatching system (OFHS) could decrease the negative effects of prolonged cold storage periods on hatchability parameters of broiler breeder eggs in comparison with traditional hatching system (THS). Five hundred and forty hatching eggs (57.37+1.29g) were distributed randomally into six treatments and 90 (eggs) replicates per treatment, as follows; eggs that did not expose to cold storage (12 to 15 ºC and RH was 60-70%) and incubated under THS and OFHS in first and second treatments respectively, in third and fourth treatments, eggs were cold stored for 4 days and incubated under THS and OFHS respectively, whereas, in fifth and sixth treatments eggs were cold stored for 9 days and incubated under THS and OFHS respectively. OFHS procedure involving combined last phase of incubation (in the hatcher) with first brooding period in farm, by putting fertile eggs in baskets 30 cm above the floor, and exposed fertile eggs to special environement (34-35 ºC, RH>40%), wheares, THS use a standard procedure followed in commercial hatcheries Most of hatched chicks (59.14%) spereaded for 12 hours, from 468 to 480 h, wheares, the rest of chicks hatched after that, in addition, THS had a siginificant increase hatchability of fertile eggs compared with OFHS, furthermore, the interactions between two factors revealed that using OFHS with 4 days of cold storage had no significant differences compared with THS without cold storage, which mean that OFHS could decrease the effect of storage periods, and the same trend appeared with 9 days of cold storage. In conclusion, OFHS could participate in constrained hatching windows and improve hatchability of fertile eggs with prolong periods of cold storage in comparison with THS.