AnSc 121 LESSON 6

Lesson 6:

Egg

  • hard-shelled reproductive body that can develop into a new individual.

Egg Quality

  1. Exterior egg quality - based on shell cleanliness, shell soundness, shell texture, and shell shape.

  2. Interior egg quality - based on the viscosity of the albumen, shape, and firmness of the yolk, free from yolk defects.

Fertile Egg Quality

  • alive

  • contains living cells

  • undamaged, fresh, clean, and fertile eggs

Egg quality and embryo survival are influenced by hen/sire’s:

  1. age

  2. health

  3. nutrition

  4. stress

  5. environment

Factors that affect hatchability

Breeder

  • breeder nutrition

  • disease

  • mating activity

  • egg damage

  • correct body weight

  • egg sanitation and storage

Hatchery

  • sanitation

  • egg storage/damage

  • incubation (management)

  • chick handling

Egg storage

  • store less than 10 days

  • maintain temp between 55 and 65°F / 12.78 - 18.33° C

  • keep humidity at 75%

  • turn eggs stored for more than a week

  • handle with care

Cleaning and Culling

  • do not incubate cracked, misshapen, soiled, unusual size egg

  • do not wash eggs or wipe with damp clothes

General Care

  • storage time: incubate eggs within 7-10 days of being laid

  • temp and humidity during storage: 55 and 65°F or 12.78 - 18.33° C, and 70-80% relative humidity

  • positioning and turning eggs during storage: place them on flats with the large end-up

Incubation

  • process of changing of fertile egg to a living organism capable of walking and eating

Type of Incubation

  1. Natural incubation (broody hen)

  2. Artificial incubation (incubator)

Incubation Period of Poultry Species

  1. Chicken - 21

  2. Pheasant - 23 to 37

  3. Muscovy Duck - 35

  4. Mallard Duck - 28

  5. Turkey - 28

  6. Falcon - 28

  7. Geese - 28 to 35

  8. Pigeon - 17 to19

  9. Quail - 17 to 18

  10. Ostrich - 42