Effect of incubation temperatures and chick transportation conditions on bone development and leg health (original) (raw)
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Revista Brasileira de Ciência Avícola, 2002
The objective of the present study was to assess the development of broiler chicks during the first week post-hatching when reared at three different environmental temperatures. A total of 480 day-old chicks were placed in three environmentally controlled rooms (20, 25 and 35°C) from 1 to 7 days of age. Body weight gain, feed and water intake, as well as liver, gizzard, heart, yolk sac and bursa of Fabricius weights were measured daily. Tibia and femur bones were weighed and their length and width (medial diameter) were also obtained. The chicks reared at 20º C had lower weight gain and ingested less food than chicks reared at 25°C and less water than chicks kept at 35°C. Relative weights of the liver, heart, and gizzard were affected by environmental temperature, whereas yolk sac and bursa of Fabricius relative weights were not. The data showed that all bone parameters increased with bird age. Environmental temperature did not affect tibia or femur width, however a significant incr...
Semina: Ciências Agrárias
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different times of exposure to heat on bone parameters and organ morphometry of Cobb Slow® and Hubbard Flex® broilers exposed to high temperatures for 1, 2 or 3 h daily, from 14 days of age. A total of 1120 one-day-old male chicks (half of each line; average weight of 44 g) were housed into 32 cages with 35 birds each, in a randomized-block experimental design. From the first to the 13th day of age, the birds remained under the thermal conditions recommended for their lines; thereafter, from the 14th day, the shed was separated into four parallel sections of 5.60 × 10.20 × 2.8 m delimited by double-sided plastic curtains along the width of the shed. Cyclic heat stress was generated by average temperatures of 36 ºC from 14-20 days, 35 °C from 21-27 days, 34 °C from 28-34 days and 33 °C from 35-42 days. The total length, width, density and mineral matter of the tibia; the size of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum; and the weight...
Journal of World’s Poultry Research, 2023
Thermal manipulations during the embryonic period have positive effects on thermotolerance and the productive performance of broilers subjected to acute heat stress. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of Thermal manipulation during incubation (TMI) on productive performances and thermotolerance of broiler chickens growing in tropical climates. A total of 900 Cobb 500 broiler chicken eggs from a 35-weekold breeder flock were incubated in standard incubation conditions (37.8°C, 60% relative humidity) until day 7, when they were divided into 3 groups (300 eggs per group). The control group (C) was incubated at standard incubation conditions while T6 and T12 groups were subjected to, respectively, 6 hours/day and 12 hours/day of TMI (T° = 39.5°C, relative humidity = 65%, Embryonic day = 7-16). The relative embryo and albumen weight were determined from 10 to 18 days of incubation. The hatching event was checked between 450 and 504 hours of incubation, and egg hatchability, chick quality, and cloacal temperature were also determined. One hundred and twenty-five chicks from each incubation group were transferred to the farm and raised for 6 weeks. During this period, their post-hatch performances were determined. At week 6, blood samples were collected to measure T3, T4, and corticosterone hormone levels. Then, the 6-week-old broilers were slaughtered to determine meat yield and quality. Results showed that the chick's rectal temperature was significantly reduced in T6 and T12 groups compared to the C group, while hatchability and one-day-old chick weight were not affected. Final body weight and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved in the T12 group, compared to other groups. Thermal manipulation during incubation for 6 and 12 hours significantly reduced mortality rate and pectoralis major muscle drip loss while it increased muscle pH at 24 hours postmortem (pH24). Corticosterone, T3, and T4 plasma hormone levels at week 6 were also significantly reduced by TMI. Therefore, exposing hatching eggs to 39.5°C and 65% of relative humidity from days 7 to 16 of incubation for 12 hours/day is recommended for the poultry industry in tropical climates.
Scienceline, 2024
Chickens are sensitive to environmental challenges caused by temperature. The current study aimed to determine the effects of heat manipulation during embryonic development on the physiological responses of Goliath chickens. A total of 2000 hatching eggs from 48-week-old breeders were weighed, numbered, and randomly distributed equally into 4 incubators. Each incubator received 500 eggs (4 replicates of 125 eggs each). Eggs in two of the incubators were rotated hourly at a 45° angle and maintained at 37.8°C and 60% relative humidity (T0 groups). Between embryonic days (ED) 10 and 18 of incubation, the eggs from the other two incubators were heated to 38.5°C for 6 hours per day (T1 groups). The eggs were reweighed and candled, and viable eggs were moved to the hatching baskets at ED 18 of incubation. Hatching eggs were examined individually for hatching events every three hours during the final three days of incubation. On day 21, blood samples were collected from 12 chicks per group for hormonal and biochemical analyses. The evaluated blood parameters included Triiodothyronine (T3), T4 (thyroxine), cortisol, uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase, and total protein. At hatch, chicks were weighed and their quality (survival after hatching and performance standards) was evaluated. Data were collected on embryonic development, hatching window, hatching events, biochemical parameters, and hormonal concentrations. Results indicated that hatchability, chick’s weight, Tri-iodothyronine, and corticosterone were higher in the T1 group, compared to the control group. At hatch on day 21, the pipping muscle of chicks in the treated group (T1) was significantly heavier than that of the control group, while the embryonic mortality rate was significantly higher in the T0 group. In conclusion, applying heat treatment for 6 hours at 38.5°C from ED10-ED18 of embryogenesis increased significantly the hatching rate, the pipping muscle, and the chick’s weight in this study.