The influences of pre-incubation storage duration and genotype on the hatchability of Medium White turkey eggs from hens fed a diet containing a yeast culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeding turkey breeder hens of different genotypes a diet containing 5 g kg −1 yeast culture (YC) and its effect on pre-incubation egg storage duration (Experiment 1, eggs stored 0–7 and 8–14 days; Experiment 2, eggs stored 0–4, 5–9, and 10–14 days), hen reproductive performance, and the hatchability of fertile eggs. Wrolstad Medium White turkey hens, representing three distinct genetic lines, Low (L), High (H), and Cross (C), were fed pelleted 15.4% crude protein (CP) corn/soya breeder diets without or with 5 g kg −1 YC (XP yeast culture®, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Diamond V. Mills Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA). The results of Experiment 1 indicated that early embryonic mortality (Days 0–10) of eggs stored from Days 0 to 7 was reduced ( P < 0.01) in the three lines when supplemental YC was provided in the breeder hen's diet. Hatch of fertile eggs was increased ( P < 0.02) in the line C eggs stored from Days 0 to 7 prior to incubation and there was a significant ( P < 0.04) genotype-dietary YC interaction. The results of Experiment 2 were similar to those in Experiment 1; early embryonic mortality was reduced in eggs stored from Days 5 to 9 in Lines H and C. Significant genotype-dietary YC interactions were noted for egg storage times of Days 5–9 ( P < 0.05) and 10–14 ( P < 0.04). A genotype-dietary YC interaction ( P < 0.01) was also observed when the hatch of fertile eggs was increased in eggs stored from Days 5 to 9 in Lines H and C but not in Line L. These results indicate that the breeder hen's genotype and duration of pre-incubation egg storage time are factors to be considered when feeding diets containing a YC to turkey breeder hens.