The effects of the spread of hatch and interaction with delayed feed access after hatch on broiler performance until seven days of age

Abstract

Delay in access to feed for 1-d-old chicks impairs posthatch growth. It is a standard practice that 1-d-old chicks are deprived of feed for about 48 h before they are placed on farms. During incubation, there is a spread of 24 to 48 h for late versus early hatching. As spread of hatch increases, number of chicks that are feed-deprived for a longer time before free access (IA) to feed and water increases. In this current study, we investigated the effects of time delay in feed access on chick juvenile relative growth (RG: a measure of speed of growth) up to d 7, taking into consideration the duration of egg storage and spread of hatch. Our results confirmed that delay in feed access caused weight loss during holding time and depressed growth rate after access to feed. The magnitude of the effect depended on the hatching period within the hatching window. It also depended on whether the biological age (BA) or the chronological age (CA) of the chick was considered. Immediate access to feed produced significantly different results depending on CA or BA. Both ways, the method seemed to benefit the late hatchers. This finding contrasts with the effect of delayed feeding in which early hatchers benefited more. Long duration of egg storage depressed RG not only of chicks with immediate access to feed but also in those denied access after hatch. Delay in feed access significantly aggravated the effects of long egg storage duration on RG. Triiodothyronine levels were lower in feed-deprived chicks, and the effect was greater in late hatchers. It is concluded that the beginning of delay in feed access should be determined from the time of hatch not at the end of hatch. It is suggested that the adverse effects of delay in feed access can be reduced by providing a source of energy in hatching baskets or during transportation.

Physiological status of broiler chicks at pulling time and the relationship to duration of holding period

“…One assumption is that the chicks are similar in physiological status at hatch, giving a baseline with which to compare the results obtained at pulling. While this is true for most physiological parameters including BW, some organ weights and hormone levels (Careghi et al, 2005;van de Ven et al, 2013;Maatjens et al, 2014), other parameters do differ slightly, such as glucose levels and heart weight, making it more difficult to compare these to chicks at pulling. Numerous factors influence hatching time and chick quality, such as breeder age, genetic strain and egg storage conditions.…”

“…High-quality day-old chicks ensure greater survivability and better growth potential during the early post-hatch stages (Christensen, 2009). There have been previous studies investigating the physiological status of chicks shortly after hatch and these show no difference in chick weights relative to the time of hatch (Careghi et al, 2005;van de Ven et al, 2013;Maatjens et al, 2014). However, there is no specific data to show how weight, chick quality or other physiological parameters at pulling are influenced by the precise duration of the holding period.…”

“…At the end of an ∼21-day incubation period, chicks hatch over a 24 to 48 h period in a commercial hatchery and hatch window is defined as the time between the hatching of the first and last chick (Careghi et al, 2005). The early hatch chicks are held in the incubator until the majority of the chicks in the entire batch hatch, rather than being removed immediately upon hatching.…”

“…It has been shown that feed and water deprivation after hatch leads to dehydration (van de Ven et al, 2009) and impairs welfare and post-hatch performance with respect to growth, immune system activation, digestive enzyme stimulation and organ development (Gonzales et al, 2003;Willemsen et al, 2010). Therefore, the start of feed and water deprivation should be considered from the individual time of hatch and not from the end of incubation (Careghi et al, 2005) in order to reduce welfare issues and maintain health, as the day-old chick is the starting material to realise a high-quality broiler flock at slaughter age (Tona et al, 2003). High-quality day-old chicks ensure greater survivability and better growth potential during the early post-hatch stages (Christensen, 2009).…”

Egg storage duration and hatch window affect gene expression of nutrient transporters and intestine morphological parameters of early hatched broiler chicks

“…Longer egg storage duration results in a longer incubation time (Christensen et al, 2002). Thus, mixing eggs from different storage period affects the hatch spread, which is referred to 12 to 48 h of hatch window (Decuypere et al, 2001;Careghi et al, 2005). It was reported that 80% of the chicks from eggs stored for 3 days hatched before 490 h of incubation, whereas this number was obtained at 500 h of incubation for chicks from eggs stored for 18 days (Tona et al, 2003).…”