Hatching egg and newly hatched chick yolk sac total IgY content at 3 broiler breeder flock ages

During the first week of the posthatching period, before the immune system is mature enough to produce its own B lymphocytes, a chick's humoral immunity depends on maternal antibodies (IgY) received from the egg yolk. During incubation and after hatching, the yolk sac (YS) membrane transfers nutrients (including IgY) from the egg yolk to the developing embryo or newly hatched chick. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of breeder flock age on the total IgY content of egg yolks and chick YS from a commercial broiler breeder strain. Hatching eggs from the same broiler breeder flock were collected at 32, 40, and 55 wk of age. One group of eggs per flock age was used to determine the egg yolk total IgY content. Another group of eggs was incubated for 21.5 d, and upon hatching, the YS of newly hatched chicks were collected to determine the total IgY content. Egg and egg yolk weight increased with flock age, but YS weights did not reflect egg yolk weight. The total IgY content per gram of egg yolk increased with flock age; this fact plus the observed yolk weight increase with flock age notably increased the total IgY contained in yolks of eggs laid by 55-wk-old breeders. However, chicks hatching from 55-wk-old breeders had less IgY per gram of YS than chicks from 32- and 40-wk-old breeders. Whether there are differences in the rates of YS absorption between chicks of different breeder ages is unknown. This research provided total IgY values for broiler breeder egg yolk and chick YS of a commonly used meat-type chicken strain. Differences in egg yolk and YS total IgY contents due to flock age in this type of bird had not been previously reported. Research on the physiological consequences of YS absorption rates in chicks from different breeder ages is advised.