10/07/2017

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Innovations in and around the hatchery

Sander.lourens@wur.nl

www.hatchability.com

Innovations in and around the hatchery

- Pre-storage heating of hatching eggs

- Incubation and chick quality: eggshell temperature

- Care for young chicks

- Hatchbrood and Hatchcare (Hatchtech)

- Patio and X-treck (Vencomatic)

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Embryo vitality in long stored eggs

To survive storage, the embryo needs a certain degree of development

(Fasenko et al., 2001):

2- layer stage (60.000 – 80.000 cells; stage X)

3 – 6 hrs of pre-heating at incubation temperature BEFORE storage

This technique would increase embryo vitality

- small scale trial

- large scale field trials

- broiler breeder experiment

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70

75

80

85

90

95

100

0 hrs 3 hrs 6 hrs 9 hrs 0 hrs 3 hrs 6 hrs 9 hrs

% c

hic

ks

fro

m f

ert

ile

eg

gs

1 week storage time 2 weeks storage time

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At day of lay: 4 hrs pre-heating at 37.8ºC

Next, eggs stored for 3 or 10 days

SPIDES (Short Periods of Incubation

During Egg Storage)

1998: Introduction of eggshell temperature measurements

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Buckeye

96

98

100

102

104

1 4 8 11 15 18Day of incubation

ET

(F

)

Multi-stage setter with trolley setting: side view

16-18 13-15 10-12 1-3

37.8

7-9 4-6

38.5 37.2

36.5

38.5

airfloweggs

40+

0 48 96 144 192 240 288 336 384 432 480

Time (hrs)

37

38

39

40

41

ES

T (

ºC)

Corner

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36.0

37.0

38.0

39.0

40.0

41.0

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0Air velocity (m/s)

Tem

per

atu

re (

ºC)

Air temperature

Eggshell temperature

Machine temperature ≠ embryo temperature

What is chick quality??

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

0 7 14 21

Time (d)

Pro

port

iona

l am

ount

s of

ene

rgy

(%)

Yolk Sac

BurnedAlbumen

Embryo

O2

Heat

CO2

H2O

+ or

60 g egg

38 + 2 g

32 + 8 gEmbryo temperature

EST 37.8ºC = optimal

Poor development mortality

diseases

Poor technical results

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Shank length and broiler performance

2000

2100

2200

2300

2400

2500

2600

Haan Hen

Pootlengte (cm)

Gew

ich

t (g

)

<3 3-3.1 >3.1

Gewicht bij uitkomst: 42 - 44g

2000

2100

2200

2300

2400

2500

2600

Haan Hen

Pootlengte (cm)

Gew

ich

t (g

)

<3 >3

Gewicht bij uitkomst: 36- 38g

males females males femalesHatch weight 36-38g Hatch weight 42-44g

Shank length (cm) Shank length (cm)

BW

@42

d (g

)

BW

@42

d (g

)

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To know chick quality you have

to measure chick quality!!!

0

10

20

30

40

50

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Chick length (cm)

Yo

lk f

ree

bo

dy

we

igh

t (g

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

Res

idu

al Y

olk

(g

)

Yolk free body weight

Residual yolk

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Heat production

- Time / development

- Physical factors

- Biological factors

- Environmental factors

Heat loss

- Evaporation

- Heat transfer

- temperature difference

- heat capacity

- air velocity

40.0

39.5

39.0

38.5

38.0

37.5

37.0

36.5

36.0

Embryo temperature (ºC)

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40.0

39.5

39.0

38.5

38.0

37.5

37.0

36.5

36.0

Embryo temperature (ºC)

Heat loss Heat production

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Good quality chicks: what next??

Rectal temperature variations in day-old chicks

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

hatch

er b

aske

t

selec

tion

spra

ying

holdi

ng ro

om

befo

re tr

ansp

ort

afte

r tra

nspo

rt

at p

lacem

ent

afte

r 24

hour

s

Rec

tal t

emp

erat

ure

(ºC

)

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60.0°F

100.0°F

70

80

90

100

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40 gDag 0

Dag 7 120 g 200 g

Growth 80 g 160 g

Growth 2x as high: HP 3-4x as high

HP higher? HL has to increase as well

if not: increase chick temperature, decreased metabolic rate

Decreased growth!

Chick temperature: balance between heat production and heat loss

Hatchbrood broilers

All efforts made in the hatchery are lost when chicks are placed at the farm under wrong conditions!!

• First week high care unit

• Feed and water available

• Chick temperature: measured and “set” at 40,5ºC

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1% higher carcass weight

in slaughterhouse!

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7 sites; 5 broiler houses per site; 250.000 broilers per house

Dimensioning for slaughtering of 12.000 broilers per hr; 1 house per day

3 cells per broiler house

2 rows per cell

6 floors (tier levels) high

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X-treck

X-treck by Vencomatic

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July 10, 2017

Preincubation warming profile

Short storage: Warming profile does not affect embryo viability

Long storage: Slow warming profile beneficial for embryo viability

Reason is unknown

Use slow pre‐incubation warming profile when storage is prolonged

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Innovations in and around the hatchery can be very successful

Technical inventions should support the biological processes

- Never compromise on egg and chick quality

- Measure and adjust eggshell temperature

- Measure and adjust chick temperature

Thanks for your attention!!