Effects of length of egg nest holding time and high environmental temperatures on prestorage embryonic development, survival, and hatchability of broiler breeders

Journal of Applied Poultry Research

Volumn 8, Issue 4, 1999, Pages 488-492

  Fasenko, G M ^a   Wilson, J L ^b   Robinson, F E ^a   Hardin, R T ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA   (United States)

Author keywords

Broiler breeders; Egg nest holding time; Embryo survival; Environmental temperature; Hatchability; Prestorage embryonic development

Indexed keywords

EID: 0033259767     PISSN: 10566171     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/japr/8.4.488     Document Type: Article

References (23)

1. Proudfoot, F.G. and R.M.G. Hamilton, 1990. Care of Hatching Eggs Before Incubation. Publication 1573/E, Communications Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
2. Nicolaides, C.N., 1933. Relation of time of layingand embryonic mortality. Poultry Sci. 12:274-276.
3. Hays, F.A. and C. Nicolaides, 1934. Variability in development of fresh laid hen eggs. Poultry Sci. 13:74-89.
4. Coleman, J.W. and P.B. Siegel, 1966. Selection for body weight at eight weeks of age. 5. Embryonic stage at oviposition and its relationship to hatchability. Poultry Sci. 45:1008-1011.
5. Kosin, I.L. and K.L. Arpra, 1966. The pattern of early embryonic development in two genetically isolated lines of broad breasted bronze turkeys. Poultry Sci. 45:622-629.
6. Fasenko, G.M., F.E. Robinson, J.G. Armstrong, J.S. Church, and R.T. Hardin, 1991. Variability in preincubation embryo development in domestic fowl. 1. Effects of nest holding time and method of egg storage. Poultry Sci. 70:1876-1881.
7. The houses on Farm 1 measured 12.2 x 114.3 m with a bird capacity of 7900 hens and 950 roosters per house. Farm 2 had two houses that were 12.2 x 91.4 m and housed 6300 hens and 760 roosters per house. These houses had curtain-sided walls and were equipped with foggers and suspended fans to alleviate high ambient temperatures. These naturally mated flocks consisted of Hubbard hens and Peterson roosters. At the start of the study, the birds on Farm 1 were 42 wk old and those on Farm 2 were 43 wk old. Dietary intake of the birds was restricted to the primary breeder's recommendations to limit body weight gain (16% crude protein and 2865 kcal ME/kg). Eggs were hand gathered from two-tiered galvanized nest boxes lined with wood shavings.
8. Fasenko, G.M., R.T. Hardin, F.E. Robinson, and J.L. Wilson, 1992. Relationship of hen age and egg sequence position with fertility, hatchability, viability, and preincubation embryonic development in broiler breeders. Poultry Sci. 71:1374-1383.
9. On-farm egg cooler temperatures ranged from 18.9 to 20.7°C (66.0 to 69.3°F).
10. Embryos were prepared for developmental staging as described by Fasenko et al. [6]. Eggs were opened and the albumen separated from the yolk. A filter paper ring with a 6 mm diameter hole was placed on top of the yolk membrane to surround the blastoderm (embryo). Using scissors, the yolk membrane was cut around the outside of the filter paper ring, and the filter paper ring, with the yolk membrane and blastoderm attached to it, lifted off the surface of the yolk. The blastoderm was then placed with the side in contact with the yolk facing up in a small watch glass filled with avian saline and observed under 16 times magnification using a Wild M3 stereo microscope fitted with a Jena dark field illuminator [11]. Any adherent yolk on the blastoderm was removed using a hair loop and/or with gentle washing using saline and a pipette.
11. The stage of embryonic development was assessed according to the method described by Eyal-Giladi and Kochav [12]. This embryonic staging method involves observing the blastoderm under a microscope fitted with a dark field stage at about 16 times normal magnification. The stages of development are classified on the basis of the appearance/disappearance or movement of groups of cells that are part of the embryo or associated with it. For the purpose of this experiment, the stages are summarized as follows: Description of Stages of Embryonic Development Stages 1 to 6: Cleavage stages. During these stages of development, rapid cell division occurs within the embryo. It takes approximately 10 to 11 hr after fertilization for the embryo to reach Stage 6. During this period the egg is forming within the oviduct of the hen. Stages 7 to 10: Formation of the Area Pellucida. During the period that the egg is being formed within the oviduct of the hen, cell sheading (death) is occurring in the embryo. This programmed cell death produces an area in the middle of the embiyo that is approximately 1 cell layer thick; this area is called the "area pellucida." Surrounding the area pellucida is an opaque ring. This area is several cell layers thick as it does not undergo any shedding of cells; this area is termed the "area opaca." Further development of the embryo occurs in the region of the area pellucida. Stage 10 is the stage of development that is most commonly observed in a freshly laid chicken egg. Stages 11 to 14: Hypoblast Formation. A second period of cell movement results in the development of a central solid disk of cells on the surface of the area pellucida; this disk is made up of cells called hypoblast cells. These cells do not contribute cells to the growing embiyo, but influence the area pellucida to continue development. At Stage 14, the formation of the primitive streak begins and eventually leads to gastrulation of the embiyo (migration of embryonic cells to form the three main cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm). These stages of embryonic development usually occur after incubation of the egg. Assigning Stages of Development Any development beyond Stage 13 was assigned a stage of 16 to facilitate statistical analysis.
12. Eyal-Giladi, H. and S. Kochav, 1976. From cleavage to primitive streak formation: A complementary normal table and a new look at the first stages of the development of the chick. I. General Morphology. Dev. Biol. 49:321-337.
13. Eyal-Giladi, H., 1991. The early embryonic development of the chick as an epigenetic process. Critical Rev. Poultry Biol. 3:143-166.
14. Incubated for 18 days in Jamesway Super J incubators (capacity of 90,720 eggs) at 37.2°C (99.0°F) and 59% relative humidity. On the 19th day of incubation the eggs were transferred to Jamesway Super J hatchers (capacity of 15,120 eggs) at 37.1°C (98.8°F) and 60% relative humidity.
15. Mauldin, J.M., R.J. Buhr, and J.L. Wilson, 1991. Analyzing hatch day breakout and embryonic mortality. World Poultry 7(7):24-25.
16. Fertility=(Number of Fertile Eggs/Number of Eggs Set) x 100. Early embryonic mortality is classified as the embryos that died between 1 and 7 days of incubation. Early Embryonic Mortality=(Number of Dead Embryos Between 1 to 7 Days of Incubation/Number of Fertile Eggs Set) x 100.
17. Hatchability=(Number of Eggs Hatched/Number of Eggs Set) x 100. Hatchability of Fertile Eggs=(Number of Eggs Hatched/Number of Fertile Eggs) x 100.
18. The data were analyzed using ANOVA procedures of SAS/STAT [19]. The sources of variation were farms (n = 2), houses within farm (n = 2), days of collection within farm (n = 4), and treatments (n = 2). The interaction of treatment with other sources of variation was not significant and was pooled into the error term. Significance level was set at P < .05).
19. SAS Institute, 1990. SAS User's Guide. Version 6. 4th Edition. SAS Institute, Inc., Gary, NC.
20. Kirk, S., G.C. Emmans, R. McDonald, and D. Arnot, 1980. Factors affecting the hatchability of eggs from broiler breeders. Br. Poultry Sci. 21:37-53.
21. Taylor, L.W. and C.A. Gunns, 1935. Size of unincubated embryo in relation to hatchability. Poultry Sci. 14:294.
22. Heywang, B.W., 1944. Fertility and hatchability when the environmental temperature of chickens is high. Poultry Sci. 23:334-339.
23. Heywang, B.W., 1945. Gathering and storing hatching eggs during hot weather. Poultry Sci. 24:434-437.