Identifying factors of importance for chick quality and traits that may predict chick quality
In the hatcheries today, the eggs that have cracks are sorted out before incubation. When hatched the chicks are graded as saleable or unsaleable, and salable chicks are transported to the farm. First week mortality (FWM) is a common way to assess chick quality and performance at the farm and it var...
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| Formato: | Second cycle, A2E |
| Lenguaje: | sueco sueco |
| Publicado: |
2018
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/13865/ |
| Sumario: | In the hatcheries today, the eggs that have cracks are sorted out before incubation. When hatched the chicks are graded as saleable or unsaleable, and salable chicks are transported to the farm. First week mortality (FWM) is a common way to assess chick quality and performance at the farm and it varies among flocks. One disadvantage with FWM is that it gives delayed information regarding chick quality and factors at the farm can influence the FWM. If FWM could be correlated to egg quality traits, chicks of poor quality could be sorted out already before incubation of the egg, which would be a benefit regarding animal welfare and the economy for hatcheries and farmers. Of interest is also to investigate if the immunological function in breeder hens affects the FWM of their progeny. In the present study possible links between FWM and hatching egg quality parameters were investigated. Furthermore, IgY concentration of the serum of the breeder hens and in the yolks of their eggs were analyzed. Four flocks of Ross 308 grandparents, aged between 33-51 weeks, were selected based on the FWM of their offspring. The serum of the grandparents and the yolks of their eggs were analyzed for IgY concentration and eggs were also analyzed for egg quality parameters. In the egg quality analysis there were some storage effects on pH and Haugh units, but no consistent difference between the flocks that could be linked to progeny FWM. The results showed no significant differences between the flocks in IgY concentration of the yolks or in serum. However, there was a large variation in IgY serum levels between individual breeder hens and also in the IgY concentrations in egg yolks within flocks. The reason for this variation is not known. In this study it was not possible to identify which hen that laid a specific egg and it was therefore not possible to link IgY concentrations in egg yolks with IgY in breeder hen serum on individual level. In future studies with a similar approach, being able to collect eggs with known maternal identity is recommended, to be able to follow the transfer of IgY from mother to egg on individual basis, and to link egg quality to specific hens. |
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