Influence of egg storage duration and pre-incubation warming profile on embryonic development, hatchability, and chick quality

Inge Reijrink*, Debbie Berghmans‡, Ron Meijerhof†, Bas Kemp‡, and Henry van den Brand‡

*HatchTech Incubation Technology B.V., P.O. Box 256, 3900 AG Veenendaal, the Netherlands; ‡Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, the Netherlands; †Poultry Performance Plus, Kleine Enkweg 1, 7383 DB Voorst, the Netherlands.

When eggs are stored beyond 7 days, hatchability and chick quality decrease. The cause of the negative effects of prolonged egg storage is unclear. The negative effects may be caused by a decrease in embryo viability due to an increase in cell death. The optimal time and curve of preincubation warming (the preincubation warming profile) may be different for eggs stored over short and long periods of time because embryo viability depends on egg storage duration. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether preincubation warming profiles affect embryonic development, hatchability, and chick quality when eggs are stored for a short or prolonged time. Download the entire article via the button below.