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Research Note: Interaction between hatching time and chick pull time affects broiler live performance.
Poultry Science
|April 25, 2022
Summary
Delayed-pull (DP) treatment for broiler chicks, involving an extra 24-hour holding period, resulted in lower initial body weight but no long-term performance differences. Late-hatched chicks experienced increased mortality and reduced European Production Efficiency Index (EPEI) when not held.
Area of Science:
- Poultry Science
- Animal Husbandry
- Avian Physiology
Background:
- Hatching time and chick pull time are critical factors influencing broiler live performance.
- Understanding the impact of holding periods post-hatch is essential for optimizing broiler production efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of broiler chick hatching time and pull time on live performance metrics.
- To evaluate the impact of a delayed-pull (DP) treatment versus a normal-pull (NP) treatment on chick growth and performance.
Main Methods:
- Ross 308 broiler hatching eggs were subjected to two trials with different incubation and pull times.
- Chicks were categorized into early, middle, and late hatching groups.
- A delayed-pull (DP) treatment involved an additional 24-hour holding period in the hatcher compared to the normal-pull (NP) treatment.
Main Results:
- Delayed-pull chicks had lower initial body weight (BW) but exhibited compensatory weight gain, showing no BW difference by 41 days.
- Neither chick pull time nor hatching time significantly affected BW, feed consumption, or feed conversion ratio (FCR) at 41 days.
- A significant interaction between hatching time and pull time was observed for mortality and European Production Efficiency Index (EPEI).
Conclusions:
- The delayed-pull treatment mitigated negative effects on live performance associated with late hatching.
- Late-hatched chicks sent to the broiler house immediately had higher mortality and lower EPEI.
- Holding chicks in the hatcher for extended periods (up to 50 hours for early hatchers) did not negatively impact overall live performance with the DP treatment.
