Relationship between albumen quality and hatchability in fresh and stored hatching eggs. Poult. Sci

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted over a period of two years to determine the relationship of albumen quality on the hatchability of fresh and stored eggs. In 1976 and 1977, three groups were selected from Single Comb White Leghorns in their first laying year based on albumen quality as determined by Haugh unit values. Hatchability percent for fresh and 4-week stored eggs in the first year and for fresh and 3-week stored eggs in the second year were recorded for each group separately. The decline in Haugh unit values over a 3-week storage period between individual hens ranged from 4 to 31 Haugh units. The groups with the lowest Haugh unit values as fresh eggs had the greatest average rate of decline (18—19); the group with the highest Haugh units had the lowest average decline (12—14). The highest Haugh unit groups had higher percent hatches (P<.01) than the lowest groups for both 3-week (81.0 vs. 73.4) and 4-week (59.8 vs. 39.0) stored eggs. For fresh eggs in 1976 there was no significant difference in percent hatch between the groups, but in 1977 the groups with high albumen quality hatched (P<.05) better than the low albumen quality group. In this experiment, the best hatchability results for 3 and 4 week stored eggs were achieved from eggs that had a fresh Haugh unit score of 80 or over in which the decline in albumen quality during storage was not in excess of 17 Haugh units over a three week period