The chicken embryo and its micro environment during egg storage and early incubation

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

*HatchTech Incubation Technology B.V., PO Box 256, 3900 AG Veenendaal, The Netherlands; †Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands.

When egg storage is prolonged (>7 days), hatchability and chick quality declines. The reason for this decline has been investigated, but is still not completely understood. At oviposition the developmental stage of the chicken embryo varies and so do the total number of viable cells. During storage, changes can occur in the embryo.

Embryo viability at the end of storage seems to be dependent on the number of viable cells and the developmental stage of the embryo at oviposition. When the hypoblast is completely formed (during the quiescent developmental stage), the embryo seems to be more able to endure prolonged storage periods than embryos that are less or more advanced. During storage, changes also occur in egg characteristics such as albumen viscosity, albumen pH, and yolk pH. Download the entire article via the button below.