The importance of timely removal from the incubator on hatched poults from three commercial strains
1992
Christensen, V.L. | Donaldson, W.E.
Egg size and functional qualities differ among strains of commercial turkeys. Thus, energy budgets of egg contents and eggshell conductance constants may represent different strategies for hatching and more energy may be expended by some strains than others. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects on poult quality of holding hatchling poults in the incubator for 12 or 24 h posthatching. Eggs from three strains of commercial turkey breeder hens were obtained from a commercial turkey breeding company, numbered, randomly distributed, and set in incubators. The time of hatching of each egg was observed at 4-h intervals and a random sample of hatchlings emerging from the shell at 648 and 660 h of incubation was compared with poults kept in the incubator until 672 h of incubation. Holding poults in incubators 12 or 24 h posthatching reduced (P less than or equal to .05) total body weight of all strains examined but increased (P less than or equal to .05) relative heart and liver weights. Holding time interacted (P less than or equal to .05) with strain of turkey to increase blood plasma glucose and decrease heart glycogen. Holding decreased (P less than or equal to .001) liver glycogen precipitously in all three strains. It was concluded that holding poults in incubators 12 or 24 h posthatching has detrimental effects on carbohydrate metabolism and some strains of turkeys respond to the holding time better than others. Therefore, poult quality of commercial turkey strains may be affected differently by keeping them in the incubator posthatching.
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