Storage of hatching eggs

Abstract

Synopsis An experiment is described which was designed to measure the effect on hatchability and chick quality of turning and the use of Cryovac bags during short‐and long‐term pre‐incubation storage of hatching eggs. It was also designed to explore the possibility that genotypes reacted in different ways to the same storage treatments. Hatching eggs of two genotypes were stored for 7, 14, 21 and 28 d after laying. The eggs were stored with or without turning and in air or in Cryovac bags at 11.1 °± 1.0° C. The whole experiment was replicated for each of four weekly hatches. It was found that the effect on hatchability and chick quality of storage treatments was different for the two genotypes. The differences were largely ones of magnitude rather than of direction of effect. Irrespective of the storage treatment, the longer the storage time the greater was the loss of embryos and chicks. In contrast to previous findings, the effects of storage treatments were found at all stages of incubation and not at one or two specific stages. Turning compared to no turning of hatching eggs during storage reduced the loss of embryos and chicks at all stages of incubation. For one genotype, loss of embryos and chicks at all stages of incubation was reduced by storage in Cryovac whilst for the other genotype there was no such reduction and the proportion of cull chicks was increased by this treatment. There was little evidence of an additive effect on incubation results by the combination of turning and storage in Cryovac bags.