Severe effects of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis on hatchability and first-week performance following inoculation of 18-day-incubated embryonated broiler eggs.

In ovo vaccinations have been widely used in the poultry industry over the past three decades. During vaccination, various factors, including bacterial contamination of embryonated eggs, can negatively affect hatchability, chick quality and first-week performance. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of inoculation with different bacteria at incubation day 18 on hatchability, chick quality and first-week mortality.

Improving the incubation results by sealing the eggshell of cracked hatching eggs with surgical tape.

In broiler breeder production, up to 2% of hatching eggs are rejected because of cracked or broken shells. Eggs with cracks give a reduced hatchability and a lower chick quality and cause economic loss. The main goal of this study was to determine the effect of sealing eggshell cracks with surgical tape on hatching parameters.

Effects of oxygen concentration during incubation and broiler breeder age on embryonic heat production, chicken development, and 7-day performance.

Older breeder flocks produce eggs with a relatively larger yolk and thereby a higher nutrient availability than young breeder flocks. To optimise nutrient utilisation and embryonic development throughout incubation and posthatch period, embryos originating from older breeder flocks may require a higher oxygen availability. The current study investigated effects of broiler breeder flock age and incubational oxygen concentration on embryonic metabolism and chicken development until 7-day posthatch.

Interaction between eggshell temperature and carbon dioxide concentration after day 8 of incubation on broiler chicken embryo development.

Carbon dioxide (CO) is considered to be an important factor during incubation of eggs. Effects attributed to higher CO concentrations during experiment might be due to confounding effects of other environmental conditions, such as incubation temperature. To disentangle effects of eggshell temperature (EST) and CO concentration, an experiment was conducted.

Effects of breeder age, strain, and eggshell temperature on nutrient metabolism of broiler embryos.

Breeder age and broiler strain influence the availability of nutrients and oxygen through yolk size and eggshell conductance, and the effects of these egg characteristics on nutrient metabolism might be influenced by eggshell temperature (EST). This study aims to determine effects of breeder age, strain, and EST on nutrient metabolism of embryos. A study was designed as a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement using four batches of in total 4,464 hatching eggs of 2 flock ages at 29 to 30 wk (young) and 54 to 55 wk (old) of Ross 308 and Cobb 500.