Abstract
Simple SummaryStudies on natural sanitizers for potentially safe hatching of eggs are essential. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether sanitizing hatching eggs with clove essential oil in the preincubation phase affects broiler performance (body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, and survivability). Furthermore, the effects of the oil on the hatch window and quality of embryos and one-day-old chicks were investigated. In this study, clove essential oil did not compromise the quality of the birds or the post-hatch performance.The objective of this study was to evaluate whether sanitizing hatching eggs with clove essential oil in the preincubation phase affects broiler performance and influences the hatch window and quality of embryos and one-day-old chicks. Hatching eggs (n = 1280; mean weight = 58.64 ± 0.49 g) from a batch of 37-week-old broiler breeder hens of the CPK (Pesadão Vermelho) lineage were randomly distributed into four treatments in the preincubation phase. The treatments consisted of three different sanitization procedures (spraying with grain alcohol, spraying with clove essential oil, and fumigation with paraformaldehyde) and a control treatment (nonsanitized). The lengths of the embryos and one-day-old chicks (one of the parameters used to assess bird quality) were not significantly different among the treatments, with means of 15.30 ± 1.41 and 18.37 ± 0.76 mm, respectively. Body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion rate in different rearing periods did not differ significantly among the treatments. However, there was a significant difference in the percentage of survivability during the initial period (1 to 28 days) among the treatments. In conclusion, clove essential oil treatment did not negatively affect the quality of embryos and one-day-old chicks or the performance of broilers.
Highlights
The surface of the shells of newly laid eggs can be colonized by distinct microorganisms, which can negatively affect the productive and economic capacity of poultry farming by increasing embryo mortality rates and reducing the quality of one-day-old chicks [1,2,3,4]
The sanitization of hatching eggs is a common biosafety practice performed in farms and hatcheries and mainly involves the use of paraformaldehyde [5,6,7], a product that, effective against microorganisms, is carcinogenic and teratogenic [8,9,10], presenting a risk to the health of chicken embryos and chicken egg handlers [8,10,11]
Considering that clove essential oil is a promising sanitizing compound for hatching eggs and that no studies have investigated the performance of broilers hatched from eggs treated with this oil, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether the sanitization of hatching eggs with clove essential oil in the preincubation phase affects broiler performances
Summary
The surface of the shells of newly laid eggs can be colonized by distinct microorganisms, which can negatively affect the productive and economic capacity of poultry farming by increasing embryo mortality rates and reducing the quality of one-day-old chicks [1,2,3,4]. Studies have shown that clove essential oil is effective in reducing the microbial load of hatching eggshells, provides good results in terms of incubation performance, and improves the quality of neonate chicks [3,12]. This oil is an aromatic hydrophobic extract of Syzygium aromaticum (family: Myrtaceae) and is mainly composed of phenylpropanoids, such as eugenol (C10H12O2), which constitutes 90% of the oil and is the main compound responsible for its antimicrobial activity [13,14]
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