How to survive prolonged egg storage?

Dr. Inge van Roovert-Reijrink M.Sc.

Storage of hatching eggs longer than 7 days causes a delay in hatch time and a decline in hatchability and chick quality. Hatchability declines with approximately 1% per day after 7 days of storage. The cause of this decline in hatchability and chick quality is not clear. During storage changes occur in the embryo. One of the changes is that cells in the embryo die. This can have a negative effect on embryo viability and consequently increases embryonic death.

Cell death can be caused by the length of storage, due to aging of the “sleeping” embryo. But it can also be caused by changes in the egg components. During storage the albumen pH increases from 7.6 to 9.0, and albumen height and the strength of the yolk membrane decline. This might be necessary to protect the embryo against microorganisms and to improve the diffusion of gasses like carbon dioxide and oxygen. On the other hand, an albumen pH of 9 might also cause cell death when the embryo is exposed to it for longer times. When cell death is responsible for the negative effect of prolonged storage, we must prevent or compensate for it to maintain hatchability and chick quality. Download the entire article via the button below.