Effects of egg size (weight) and age on hatching performance and chick quality of broiler breeder

Abstract

A total of 2000 Hubbard Classic females and 180 males (male to female ratio 1:11) close to standard body weights were selected and managed separately in the same shed. The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of egg size (small, medium and large) at mid (45 weeks) production cycle and flock age (30, 45 and 60 weeks old) on hatching egg weight loss, fertility, hatchability traits, chick weight and chick yield in a commercial Hubbard Classic broiler breeder flock. The results showed that minimum egg weight loss (P ≤ 0.05) was recorded in large egg size group at different incubation periods and egg weight losses decreased with advancing the age of breeder hens. Maximum fertility and hatchability (P ≤ 0.05) was noticed in small egg size group, followed by medium and large egg size groups. However, maximum embryonic mortality (P ≤ 0.05) during incubation and higher percentage of infertile eggs was recorded in large size egg group, followed by medium and small egg size groups. Low fertility, hatchability was recorded (P ≤ 0.05) in older hen at the age of 60 weeks. The chick weight and chick length were amplified (P ≤ 0.05) with increasing the egg size. However, egg size was not influenced (P ≥ 0.05) on chick yield. The chick weight, chick yield and chick length were improved (P ≤ 0.05) with advancing age of broiler breeder.