Pre-incubation Storage Conditions and their Effect on the Subsequent Livability of Chicken Embryos: Exogenous CO2, Plastic Bags and Extended Holding Periods as Factors ,

Abstract

The main objective of the present study was to examine the effect of storing White Leghorn eggs in Cryovac bags and in CO2-enriched air (1.5% CO2) on the livability of embryos during subsequent incubation. The secondary objective was to study the pattern of CO2 concentration in the egg albumen following oviposition and its possible relationship to embryos’ viability. The eggs were kept for 0, 2, 3, and 4 weeks at 15.5°C. The results (1) pointed to a “sparing” effect of plastic bag storage and a depressing effect of the CO2 treatment on hatchability, and (2) showed that during storage in “normal” air, the egg suffered a rapid loss of CO2 from its albumen. Two principal conclusions were reached: (1) under the conditions of the study, the beneficial effect on hatchability derived from storing eggs in Cryovac bags was attributed to increased humidity within such environment and (2) the CO2 concentration in the egg albumen is not a major factor for maintaining the inherent capacity of the egg to hatch following an extended period of pre-incubation storage.