Effects of Egg Storage Material and Storage Period on Hatchability in Japanese Quail

Effects of Long-Term Storage on Hatchability and Incubation Length of Game Farmed Quail Eggs

The long-term storage of eggs before incubation is a common practice in some alternative poultry systems but needs to be performed under conditions that preserve egg viability. The effects of the long-term storage of game farmed quail (Coturnix coturnix) eggs on weight loss during the storage and incubation periods, chick weight at hatch, hatchability, and incubation length were investigated. The eggs were arranged in six treatments submitted to 0-, 7-, 14-, 21-, 28-, and 35-day storage periods at 15.8 °C and 80% relative humidity. The storage length reduced the hatchability of eggs (p < 0.05) when the storage was extended to 35 days, decreasing by more than half compared to eggs stored up to 28 days. Egg weight loss during storage progressively increased with the storage length (p < 0.05). Chick weight at hatching was reduced in eggs stored for more than 14 days (p < 0.05), and relative chick weight decreased significantly in eggs stored for 35 days (p < 0.05). Incubation length progressively increased with the storage length (p < 0.05), achieving less hatching synchrony in eggs stored for a longer time (p < 0.05). In conclusion, game quail eggs store well with little deterioration up to 28 days at 15.8 °C and 80% relative humidity, allowing for extended storage when shipping long-shelf-life eggs or assembling batches large enough to fully set an incubator in farms with small breeding flocks.

Constant and Cycling Incubation Temperatures Have Long-Term Effects on the Morphology and Metabolic Rate of Japanese Quail

Incubation temperature can have profound effects on growth and development of embryos and young birds. However, few studies have examined the role that cycling incubation temperature may play in phenotypic variation and whether these effects persist to adulthood. We incubated Japanese quail eggs at control temperatures (37.5°C), at low temperatures (36.0°C), and under a cyclical treatment that maintained the same average temperature as the low treatment (36.0°C) with high temperatures that were the same as the control (37.5°C) and low temperatures that still allowed for development of the embryo (28.0°C). Individuals in the low treatment group were smaller in mass and size than individuals in the control group but had an increased basal metabolic rate relative to individuals in the cyclical treatment group. Temperature cycling offset the effects of low incubation temperatures on metabolic rate and embryonic development but not the effects on adult mass and size. Although Japanese quail are sexually size dimorphic, with females larger than males, we could detect no evidence of sex-specific sensitivity to suboptimal incubation temperatures. These results highlight the importance of incubation temperature and pattern as sources of morphological and physiological variation of adult birds.