Impact on Hatchability and Broiler Performance after Use of Hydrogen Peroxide Nebulization versus Formaldehyde Fumigation as Pre-Incubation Hatching Egg Disinfectants in Field Trial

Abstract

Hatching egg disinfection, as part of the quality assurance system, is a standard procedure in commercial hatcheries. Formaldehyde was and is broadly used but bears high risks for the personnel. In preliminary studies, the spray application of hydrogen peroxide was successfully tested and was chosen to compare its efficacy and impact on hatchability, as well as performance during fattening, and at slaughter, to formaldehyde under field conditions. The trial was set up with hatching eggs from two breeder flocks, running parallelly in three groups (H2O2, formaldehyde and non-disinfected control) at four different flock ages (at 38, 39, 56, 57 weeks). No significant differences were noticed in the hatchery, whereas in the rearing period higher 7-day- and total mortalities occurred during trials 1 and 2 in all non-disinfected groups and one formaldehyde-treated group, making an antibiotic treatment necessary. At slaughter, the findings in all groups were comparable. Trials 3 and 4 passed without significant differences between all groups, leading to the conclusion that hatching egg disinfection lowers the risk of infection-related losses. Meanwhile, formaldehyde fumigation and the spraying of hydrogen peroxide produced similar results in all stages.

A systematic review on the role of biosecurity to prevent or control colibacillosis in broiler production

“…However, it can result in toxic residues and compromise the hatchability and the chicks growth performance ( Oliveira et al, 2020 ); hence it represents a high risk for chick quality and personnel's health ( Çadırcı, 2009 ; Duong et al, 2011 ). Recent studies assessed different alternatives, both natural (e.g., use of probiotics, eucalyptus extract, essential oils) ( Graham et al, 2018 ; Motola et al, 2020 ; Toghyiani et al, 2020 ) and chemical (e.g., hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, low energy electron beam) ( Motola et al, 2020 ; Pees et al, 2022 ), depicting a general interest in finding alternative disinfection protocols for hatching eggs and suggesting awareness and/or commercial interest on alternative solutions.…”

Assessment of three alternative methods for bacterial disinfection of hatching eggs in comparison with conventional approach in commercial broiler hatcheries

“…There are several hatching egg disinfection methods in use worldwide [ 39 – 41 ] under field conditions that claim to have benefits on a deeper level, such as in the pores, without interfering with hatchability or viability of hatched chicks. In previous studies, an in vitro test was performed to analyze the bacterial disinfection efficacy [ 22 ], and potential adverse effects of various disinfection methods on hatchability and embryo viability were tested [ 23 , 34 , 35 ].…”

“…In this study, a mixture of hydrogen peroxide + alcohol was used for the disinfection which goes along with publications [ 50 ], explaining that the mixture of hydrogen peroxide with other ingredients such as alcohols or acids can improve the disinfection efficacy. An important fact to consider is that this method has no negative impact on hatchability or animal performance when compared to the gold standard formaldehyde, as demonstrated in parallel studies [ 34 ]. Although the disinfection efficacy was not as high as expected, the application proved to be suitable for larger egg numbers and easy to implement.…”

“…The disinfected eggs that were not selected as samples for this trial underwent standard commercial incubation and hatching process after disinfection and were excluded from further participation in the study. Additional investigation into the hatchability and broiler performance were carried out in parallel studies by a separate research team [ 34 , 35 ] and the findings were not included in the present investigation.…”

Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) in Broiler Breeders: An Overview

“…For instance, a natural resin from honey bees called propolis has been found to be very effective without affecting hatchability or egg weight loss [109]. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide and essential oils like clove oil were also found to be effective without affecting hatchability or egg weight loss [110][111][112]. Disinfection procedures should be practiced regularly in the breeder house, the hatchery, and the brooder; practicing an all-in-all-out system might be helpful to some extent.…”