Effects of flock age, storage temperature, and short period of incubation during egg storage, on the albumen quality, embryonic development and hatchability of long stored eggs

1. The effect of breeder flock age, storage temperature and a short period of incubation during egg storage (SPIDES) on albumen quality, development of blastoderm, and hatchability of long-stored eggs was evaluated.2. Hatching eggs were collected from 28-week-old (young) and 40-week-old (prime) Ross female line grandparent flocks and were stored for 14 d at 12, 15 or 18°C. During storage, the eggs were either kept continuously in the storage room (control) or were subjected to SPIDES treatment.3. Embryonic development was more advanced in eggs from the prime flock, exposed to SPIDES and warmer (18°C) storage temperature (P ≤ 0.05). There was a difference in the albumen pH for flock ages (P < 0.05), but the SPIDES treatment did not affect albumen height and pH (P > 0.05). On d 14 of storage, albumen pH was positively (P < 0.05) correlated with storage temperature. Hatchability was higher in the prime flock (P < 0.05).4. At both flock ages, hatchability increased (P < 0.05) by storing the eggs at 15°C, compared to 18°C, with 12°C intermediate. The hatchability improvement was due to reduced early embryonic mortality.5. The SPIDES treatment decreased late embryonic mortality and the percentage of second-grade chicks (P < 0.05), which increased the hatchability of fertile eggs (P < 0.05). SPIDES only reduced (P < 0.05) early embryonic mortality in eggs stored at 18°C.6. The highest hatchability was observed in the eggs stored at 15°C and exposed to one SPIDES treatment during 14 d storage.

Examining the effects of prestorage incubation of turkey breeder eggs on embryonic development and hatchability of eggs stored for four or fourteen days

Thirty-six hundred British United Turkey hatching eggs were used in two separate trials to test whether prestorage incubation (PRESI) treatments of 0, 6, and 12 h (Trial 1) or 0, 7, and 14 h (Trial 2) could improve the hatchability of eggs stored (17 C) for 14 versus 4 d. The development of the embryos (n = 30) was staged before and after exposing eggs to the various PRESI treatments. Embryonic development was also established after storage to ascertain whether embryonic development was occurring during storage. The remaining eggs in each trial were split into three groups (n = 500) and incubated for 28 d to examine embryonic mortality and hatchability. No changes were observed in embryonic development due to egg storage. Embryos were significantly more developed as the number of PRESI h increased; therefore, embryos from different PRESI treatments were placed in storage at different stages of development. Early mortality (1 to 7 d of incubation), mortality at internal and external pipping, and hatchability of fertile eggs were significantly reduced in eggs stored for 14 versus 4 d. The various PRESI treatments did not significantly affect the mortality or hatchability of eggs stored for 4 d. However, the hatchability of eggs incubated prior to storage for 12 h and then stored for 14 d was restored to the levels reported for eggs subjected to the treatment that represents the industry norm (0 h of PRESI and 4 d storage). These results indicate that embryos of eggs stored for 14 d, which have developmentally advanced to the stage of complete hypoblast formation (PRESI for 12 h), have a survival advantage over eggs stored for 14 d that have not been subjected to any PRESI.