Abstract
This experiment aimed at evaluating the influence of different heating times of settable eggs of Cobb 500® broiler breeders before submitting them to different storage periods on egg weight loss, embryo mortality, and hatchability. A total number of 1,980 eggs were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement, comprising nine treatments with 22 replicates of 10 eggs each. The following factors were analyzed: pre-storage heating periods (0, 6, 12 hours at 36.92°C) and storage periods (4, 9, 14 days at 12.06°C). After storage, eggs were incubated under usual conditions, and were transferred to the hatcher at 442 hours of incubation. Eggs were weighed before heating, incubation, and transference to determine weight loss. Partial hatchability was determined at 480 hours, and total hatchability at 498 hours of incubation. Embryo mortality was determined in non-hatched eggs. It was concluded that heating eggs for six hour before storage improves incubation results as it decreases incubation length and late embryo mortality, therefore its use can be indicated in commercial operations. Storing eggs for 14 days and pre-heating for 14 days and pre-heating for 12 hours severely impair incubation results, and therefore are not recommended.
Highlights
A common practice in commercial breeder farms and hatcheries is to store eggs from one to four days to obtain the amount of eggs required for the normal flow of the incubation process
Albumen pH increases with storage time, and this effect is more pronounced in young breeder eggs (Lapão et al, 1999)
Egg weight loss increased as a function of storage period at any preheating period
Summary
A common practice in commercial breeder farms and hatcheries is to store eggs from one to four days to obtain the amount of eggs required for the normal flow of the incubation process. Optimal egg storage conditions depend on the proper control of environmental temperature and air relative humidity, air renewal, turning frequency, breeder flock age, breeder genetic line, time of egg collection, and storage time. Some of these factors present interactions, and further studies are required to determine the optimal egg storage conditions (Fasenko et al, 1992; Meijerhof et al, 1994; Ruiz & Lunam, 2002; Tona et al, 2003). Embryo mortality during storage is highly related with egg weight loss, and increases with storage time (Fasenko et al, 1992; Nahm, 2001)
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