Comparative analysis of hatcheries contribution to poor development of day-old chicks based on biological and immunological performance

Abstract

Background and Aim: The quality of day-old chicks is a cornerstone to successful poultry production. Chicks with a poor quality start slowly in the field and may have high feed intake, poor growth rate, and poor feed conversion ratio. The current study aimed to assess chick quality challenges encountered from day-old chicks hatched in most commercial hatcheries in Ghana. Materials and Methods: A total of 300 day-old chicks each were obtained from commercial hatcheries in Ghana and Europe. The chicks were labeled as locally hatched broiler day-old chicks (LBDOC) and foreign hatched broiler day-old chicks (FBDOC), respectively. Chicks were reared and monitored from day old to 21 days post-hatch. Sample of chicks (n=25) from each hatchery was euthanized weekly at 1, 7, 14, and 21 days and blood samples collected for analysis. The parameters measured included physical, hematological, immunological, histological, and bacteriological characteristics. All data were analyzed by SAS Proc GLM at p<0.05. Results: The live weight of chicks was higher in FBDOC compared to LBDOC on the 1st day. The chick length and shank length of FBDOC were longer than the LBDOC. The 7-day chick mortality was 6% in LBDOC as compared to 1.5% in FBDOC. The LBDOC also had a higher wet and dry residual yolk sac percentages as well as higher residual yolk sac fluid volume than the FBDOC. The rate of yolk sac disappearance of the FBDOC was higher than the LBDOC. More than half of the LBDOC had developed navel strings and leaky navel compared to FBDOC. The LBDOC recorded Escherichia coli, Proteus, Streptococcus spp., and Gram-negative bacteria in the residual yolk sac isolated through the 21 days while FBDOC recorded E. coli, Proteus, and Gram-negative bacteria. The intestinal villi count, lengths, width, and surface area were all not significantly different. The blood monocyte levels appeared higher in FBDOC than LBDOC, which give evidence of higher immunity in FBDOC than LBDOC. Conclusion: The results indicate a challenging situation in maintaining the quality of locally hatched broiler day-old-chicks compared to foreign hatched broiler-day-old-chicks. The study demonstrates that chick quality impact goes beyond the physical characteristics of chick weight and chick length, and the higher performance of FBDOC may be influenced by compliance with international hatchery standards and vaccination protocols.

Broiler production systems in Ghana: economics and the impact of frozen chicken imports

“…The comparison of livability shows that locally hatched day old chicks (DOCs) have the lowest livability (highest mortalities) as compared to imported DOCs. These findings are supported by Yeboah et al (2019), whose study concludes that locally hatched DOCs in Ghana have higher mortality rates. Furthermore, FAO (2014) explains that the use of locally hatched DOCs which are often of low quality is one of the leading causes of low livability among Ghanaian poultry producers.…”

Quality Assessment of Day-Old Chickens on the Broiler Farms of Hong Kong

“…High-quality chicks are expected to be well-hydrated, active, and have a low mortality rate in the first five days of life (<0.5%). In addition, chicks should have uniform size and growth, adequate levels of maternal antibodies to the pathogens relevant in the region, and well-healed navels [ 7 ]. Our survey included several qualitative and quantitative parameters commonly used for scoring chick quality in hatchery management [ 5 ].…”

“…High-quality chicks should have a clean and closed navel, with no signs of swelling or infection [ 7 ]. Poor navel quality can be due to suboptimal incubation conditions, and lead to increased levels of infections, mortality, and reduced growth rate [ 11 ].…”

Impact of incubation temperature profile on chick quality, bone, and immune system during the late period of incubation of Cobb 500 broiler strain

“…Chick quality is subjective in assessment but the indicators include chick weight, chick length, shank length, yoke-free body mass, residual yolk sac and navel score, bone length, and level of mineralization, all resulting in low mortality within 5 d post hatch. Several factors affect chick quality at the breeder farm and hatchery ( Tona et al., 2001 ; Yeboah et al, 2019 ). Breeder farm factors such as breed or genetic strains, flock age, and egg handling practices such as eggs storage affect the egg quality and chick quality.…”

“…This appears to show a favorable relationship between embryo length and chick length. The best indicator of chick quality has been argued to be chick length ( Molenaar et al, 2010 ), however, this is disputable because there are other indicators such as residual yolk sac, which is an important factor for chick quality assessment ( Yeboah et al, 2019 ). Since chick length is influenced by embryo length a longer embryo will result in a longer chick and subsequently may give quality chicks.…”