Variability in preincubation embryo development in domestic fowl. 1. Effects of nest holding time and method of egg storage
1991
Fasenko, G.M. | Robinson, F.E. | Armstrong, J.G. | Church, J.S. | Hardin, R.T. | Petitte, J.N.
Embryos of eggs from Single Comb White Leghorn hens were analyzed to determine whether nest holding time and method of storage had a significant effect on postoviposition embryonic growth prior to incubation. Eggs were collected from 38- to 42-wk-old hens naturally inseminated and housed in floor pens. The experiment had a 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with two nest holding times and two storage methods. Eggs were collected within 1 h of oviposition, placed on cardboard egg flats, and stored unpacked (Treatment 1), or put on flats, and packed in 30-dozen egg cases (Treatment 2). Eggs in Treatments 3 and 4 were marked within 1 h of oviposition, but remained in the nest for 6 to 7 h. These eggs were separated into unpacked (Treatment 3), and packed (Treatment 4) groups. All eggs were stored at 13.8 C for 4 days. A total of 250 embryos were staged after storage for development using the Eyal-Giladi and Kochav classification. Least square means (LSM) for stage of development were: Treatment 1, 10.76; Treatment 2, 11.52; Treatment 3, 12.41; and Treatment 4, 12.36. For the main effects, nest holding time significantly affected stage of development (P = .0001), but storage method (P = .1140) and nest holding time by storage method interaction (P =.0730) did not. Comparison of LSM of Treatment 1 versus 3 (P =.0001), 2 versus 4 (P =.0152), and 1 versus 2 (P =.0214) were significant but Treatment 3 versus 4 (P =.8595) was not The results of the present study indicate that nest holding time significantly affected postoviposition, preincubation embryonic growth. 1% significance of the effects of method of storage varied depending on the nest holding time.
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