Influence of egg warming during storage and hypercapnic incubation on egg characteristics, embryonic development, hatchability, and chick quality

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

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

Negative effects of prolonged egg storage on hatchability and chick quality may be caused by changes in the embryo or in the egg characteristics, or by both. The aim of this experiment was to investigate whether prestorage incubation (PSI), frequent warming during storage (FW), or hypercapnic incubation during the first 5 days of incubation (HI) affect egg characteristics, embryonic development, hatchability, and chick quality. Download the entire article via the button below.