Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
Jamesway Incubator Company, Inc. Cambridge, ON, Canada.
Poult Sci. 2021 Sep;100(9):101295. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101295. Epub 2021 May 29.
The effects of hatch window and hatching basket nutrient availability on organ weights, performance, and processing yield of broilers were investigated. Eggs were hatched in illuminated hatchers. At the end of each hatch window period (HWP), hatched chicks were placed into control (CTL) hatching baskets with no nutrients or baskets providing access to feed and water (FAW). This resulted in 6 treatments in a factorial arrangement of 3 HWP (early, middle, or late) and 2 basket types (CTL or FAW). Chicks remained in experimental baskets until 504 h and were then subjected to a 4 h holding period at the hatchery without nutrient access. Subsequently, 1,500 hatched chicks were reared in floor pens for 42 d with 5 replicate pens per treatment. Common diets and water were provided ad libitum. Bird weights and feed consumption were recorded weekly. Individual bird weights were taken at 21 and 42 d. At 43 d, 14 males from each pen were processed. There was an interaction between HWP and basket type on placement BW (P = 0.028) and BW change in the hatcher (P < 0.001). The HWP influenced BW at hatch (P = 0.007), 7 d (P < 0.001), and 14 d (P < 0.001) and FI at 7 d (P < 0.001) and 14 d (P = 0.002). Chicks from FAW baskets were heavier (P < 0.001) than those from CTL baskets at 7 d; afterward, they were similar (P > 0.05) in BW. Yolk and liver weights were similar (P > 0.05) between basket treatments at 3 d posthatch. No differences (P > 0.05) in FCR, mortality, or processing were observed between basket treatments. Interestingly, early hatching chicks were lightest at hatch but subsequently had higher FI and BWG. These findings indicate that hatcher nutrient access may reduce weight loss in the hatcher, especially for early hatching chicks, but had no influence on subsequent performance or processing yields beyond 7 d.
研究了孵化窗和孵化篮养分供应对肉鸡器官重量、性能和加工产量的影响。鸡蛋在光照孵化器中孵化。在每个孵化窗期（HWP）结束时，孵化出的小鸡被放入对照（CTL）孵化篮中，没有营养物质，或放入可接触饲料和水的篮子中（FAW）。这导致在 3 个 HWP（早期、中期或晚期）和 2 个篮子类型（CTL 或 FAW）的因子排列中有 6 个处理。小鸡在实验篮子中一直待到 504 小时，然后在孵化场没有营养物质的情况下进行 4 小时的保持期。随后，1500 只孵化的小鸡在地板笼中饲养 42 天，每个处理 5 个重复笼。提供自由采食的普通饲料和水。每周记录鸟类体重和饲料消耗。在 21 天和 42 天对个体鸟进行称重。在 43 天，每个笼从 14 只雄性鸡中进行处理。孵化窗和篮子类型之间存在放置 BW 的相互作用（P=0.028）和孵化器中 BW 变化（P<0.001）。HWP 影响孵化时的 BW（P=0.007）、7 天（P<0.001）和 14 天（P<0.001）以及 7 天（P<0.001）和 14 天（P=0.002）的 FI。来自 FAW 篮子的小鸡比来自 CTL 篮子的小鸡在 7 天（P<0.001）时更重；此后，它们在 BW 方面相似（P>0.05）。在孵化后 3 天，蛋黄和肝脏重量在篮子处理之间没有差异（P>0.05）。在篮子处理之间没有观察到 FCR、死亡率或加工方面的差异（P>0.05）。有趣的是，早期孵化的小鸡孵化时体重最轻，但随后 FI 和 BWG 更高。这些发现表明，孵化器中的养分供应可能会减少孵化器中的体重损失，特别是对于早期孵化的小鸡，但在 7 天之后对后续性能或加工产量没有影响。
