Effect of storage time, egg weight and moisture loss on hatchability parameters of Baladi chicken eggs

A total of 625 Baladi chicken eggs were used to study the effect of storage time, egg weight on moisture loss, fertility, embryonic mortality and fertile hatchability. The influence of pre-incubation, first and second week of incubation moisture loss (MLl, ML2, ML3) were also investigated. The results revealed a significant storage time effect on moisture loss, fertility and fertile hatchability. As days of storage time increased (0, 3, 6 and 9 days), the fertility (93.23, 86.60, 74.32 and 73.04%) and fertile hatchability (88.60, 80.41, 75.75 and 77.01%) decreased while the pre-incubation moisture loss increased (00, 14.88,28.88 and 49.16 mg/egg/d). However, the effects of storage time on the first and second week of incubation moisture loss and embryonic mortality were inconsistant. The results also showed that egg weight had a significant effect on moisture loss. The higher the egg weight (> 46 gm) the higher the pre and< during incubation moisture loss (MU: 26.10, ML2: 198.88 and ML3: 219.51 mg/egg/d). The pre-incubation moisture loss influence on fertile hatchability was also found to be significant. The higher the moisture loss percentage « 0.1, 0.I--D.75and> 0.75%) the lower the fertile hatchability(89.29,78.08and 76.4%). The moisture loss during the first week had no consistant effect on hatchability parameters, while that of the second week had no effect upon the studied traits.Corresponding Author: Dr. Abdullah Ali ALSobayel, Professor of Poultry breeding and production, Animal Production Department, College of Food Sciences and Agriculture, PO Box 86278 Riyadh 11622, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: asobayel@ksu.edu.sa