Effect of broiler breeder age on hatching time, chick permanence time in hatcher and chick weight

Abstract

Six hundred eggs from 32, 43 and 60 week-old Cobb-500®  broiler breeder were incubated at 37,8°C  and 60% of humidity. It was used a completely randomized design with three treatments (broiler breeder ages) and 200 repetitions (each embryo/chick was considered a repetition). Eggs were weighted at 1st and 19 th days, weight losses during the incubation were estimated, chicks were weighted at birth and when they were removed from hatchery and weight losses during this period were measured. Eggs and chicks from older broiler breeder were heavier. There were no differences in relation to egg weight losses, on chick weight percentages (chick weight/egg weight ratio), of incubation time (h) and on the weight losses during their hatchery remaining. Considering 32, 43 and 60 week-old broiler breeder, respectively, initial egg weight was highly and positively correlated with egg weight at 19 th day of incubation (0.75; 0.86 and 0.79), with birth chick weight (0.57, 0.72, 0.72) and with chick weight at hatchery removing (0.38, 0.41, 0.51); positive correlations (0.61,0.41 and 0.63) were observed between incubation time and chick weight. Negative correlations (-0.79, -0.96 and -0.76) were found between incubation time and chick weight losses during hatchery remaining. In conclusion, broiler breeder age affected egg and chick weight. Eggs from different broiler breeder ages might be incubated during the same period without affecting the quality of newborn in function of the time spends in hatchery.