Is chick quality in layer hatchlings affected by temperature?

Dr. Roos Molenaar M.Sc.

Incubation conditions have a major impact on chick quality. Temperature is the most crucial factor during incubation – not the incubator temperature, but the temperature that the embryo experiences. Because embryo temperature is difficult to measure without killing the embryo, eggshell temperature is used in practice as an indicator for embryo temperature. Different studies have shown that the highest hatchability and best chick quality is obtained with an eggshell temperature of 37.8°C.

In practice, high eggshell temperatures (>38.9°C) are often observed in the second half of incubation because of suboptimal incubator design, insufficient cooling capacity, or high temperature setpoints. High eggshell temperatures are known to impair chick quality in broiler hatchlings. However, the effect of high eggshell temperatures on chick quality in layer hatchlings are less intensively studied. The research department of HatchTech, therefore, performed a trial to evaluate whether high eggshell temperatures impair chick quality in layer hatchlings.

Is chick quality in layer hatchlings affected by temperature?

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