Delayed placement and high body temperatures negatively affect chick quality in the early brooding period

Dr. Roos Molenaar M.Sc.

In commercial hatcheries, the time between hatch and feed consumption can be up to 72 hours because of hatch time, chick handling, and transportation time. These procedures are required but result in a delay in water and feed consumption for chickens. A long delay in feed and water consumption posthatch has been shown to negatively affect chick quality and subsequent performance.

Suboptimal environmental conditions between hatch and first feed consumption may even further decrease chick quality at hatch and performance in later life, but these effects are less quantified. In hatcheries, heat stress in chickens after hatch (rectal temperature >41°C) can easily occur because of a lack of cooling capacity in the hatcher or unawareness about optimal body temperatures after hatch and during chick handling and storage. The Research department of HatchTech investigated the effect of high rectal temperatures (41°C) and delayed placement (9 hrs) on the growth performance of broiler chickens in the early brooding period, which covers the first 4 days post-hatch. Download the entire article via the button below.