Abstract
Simple SummaryEgg storage duration and breeder age are two important factors influencing productivity and profitability of hatcheries. These factors probably interact with each other to influence egg quality, apparent fertility, hatchability, and hatchling quality. The aim of this study was to investigate interactions between egg storage duration and broiler breeder age on these parameters. It was demonstrated that eggs from young breeders were the most resistant to storage duration increase in relationship to early and middle embryonic mortality than eggs from older breeders. However, the opposite was found for hatchling quality, where yolk free body mass, which increased from young to old breeders after five days of storage, increased only from middle to old breeders after prolonged storage (19 days). The intestine percentage decreased also after long storage in younger breeders, but in older breeders no significant effect of egg storage duration was found.Egg storage duration and breeder age are probably interacting to influence egg quality, hatchability, and hatchling quality. To evaluate this interaction, the impact of breeder age (31, 42, 66 weeks) and storage duration (2, 5, 12, 19 days) was investigated on broiler breeder eggs (Arbor Acres). Thick albumen diameter and pH increased, and yolk dry matter decreased between 2 and 19 days of storage. With the increase of breeder age from 31 to 66 weeks, albumen height, percentage and dry matter and shell percentage decreased and the egg weight and yolk percentage, dry matter and diameter increased. Prolonged egg storage increased the yolk pH in all breeder ages, but earlier and steeper in the oldest breeders. Prolonged egg storage resulted in a lower hatchability of set and fertile eggs due to a higher percentage of embryonic mortality. Early mortality increased earlier and steeper with prolonged egg storage in the oldest compared to younger breeders. Between 5 and 19 days of storage, yolk free body mass, liver and proventriculus + gizzard percentages decreased, as well as hatchling length and yolk efficiency (yolk absorption per initial yolk weight). The latter effects were most pronounced in the younger than in the older breeders. Therefore, eggs are preferably stored shorter than 7 d, but if long storage (≥12 days) cannot be avoided, we recommend to store eggs of older breeders when egg quality and hatchability are most important. In case hatchling quality is most important, it would be better to store eggs of younger breeders (31 weeks) for a prolonged period.
Highlights
The quality of the day-old chickens and the subsequent broiler performance is affected by several factors, such as the breeder nutrition [1,2], strain, health status, age, environment [2,3,4], and preincubation factors [4,5,6,7] and incubation factors [4,8,9].In this study, two of these important factors are investigated
Significant interactions between egg storage duration and breeder age have been observed as well, both on egg characteristics [18,22] and embryonic development [4,14,23]. The latter two studies reported that the decrease in embryonic growth rate, embryonic viability, and hatchability with prolonged storage duration was more pronounced with older breeders than in young breeders (59 vs. 32 weeks)
An interaction between breeder age and storage duration was found for albumen (p = 0.006) and yolk (p = 0.003) pH (Table 1)
Summary
The quality of the day-old chickens and the subsequent broiler performance is affected by several factors, such as the breeder nutrition [1,2], strain, health status, age, environment (season, housing) [2,3,4], and preincubation factors (such as egg storage duration, storage temperature, turning, preincubation warming profile) [4,5,6,7] and incubation factors (such as temperature, CO2 concentration, oxygen availability, turning) [4,8,9].In this study, two of these important factors (egg storage duration and breeder age) are investigated. To the effects of storage duration, a higher breeder age negatively affects fertility [16], egg quality, early and late embryonic mortality [17,18,19] and hatchling weight [20,21]. Significant interactions between egg storage duration and breeder age have been observed as well, both on egg characteristics [18,22] and embryonic development [4,14,23]. The latter two studies reported that the decrease in embryonic growth rate, embryonic viability, and hatchability with prolonged storage duration was more pronounced with older breeders than in young breeders (59 vs 32 weeks)
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