Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions

ABSTRACT: Thermal stress is a risk that threatens poultry welfare and productivity. Thermal manipulation during egg incubation is considered a prevention strategy used to mitigate the detrimental effects of high ambient temperatures on birds. This study aimed to investigate the impact of thermal man...

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Main Authors: Ebtsam Iraqi, Ali Abdel Hady, Nadia Elsayed, Hanaa Khalil, Amina El-Saadany, Karim El-Sabrout
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-01-01
Series:Poultry Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579123007769
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author Ebtsam Iraqi
Ali Abdel Hady
Nadia Elsayed
Hanaa Khalil
Amina El-Saadany
Karim El-Sabrout
author_facet Ebtsam Iraqi
Ali Abdel Hady
Nadia Elsayed
Hanaa Khalil
Amina El-Saadany
Karim El-Sabrout
author_sort Ebtsam Iraqi
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT: Thermal stress is a risk that threatens poultry welfare and productivity. Thermal manipulation during egg incubation is considered a prevention strategy used to mitigate the detrimental effects of high ambient temperatures on birds. This study aimed to investigate the impact of thermal manipulation, applied to chicken breeder's eggs during the incubation period, on embryonic development, hatching characteristics, and chick quality, as well as posthatch thermotolerance and performance. A total of 1,200 fertile eggs were randomly and equally assigned into 2 groups of 3 replicates (200 eggs/replicate), using a randomized experimental design followed by t test. The first group eggs (G1) were subjected to a commercial setter temperature of 37.5°C with 55% relative humidity (RH) throughout the incubation period (1–18 d) and served as a control, while the second group eggs (G2) were treated the same commercial setter conditions until the 11th day of the incubation, then the eggs were exposed to a higher temperature of 39.5°C with 60% RH for 4 h daily from the 12th to the 18th day of incubation. All eggs in both groups were exposed to the same temperature condition of 37.2°C with 70% RH from the 19th to the 22nd days of the incubation (hatching period). Three hundred hatched female chicks per each treatment group were transferred into a closed-system house and distributed randomly into 20 floor pens (15 birds per pen). At the 8th week of age, birds were exposed to a daily heat challenge by raising the temperature to 35°C for 6 h until the 18th week of the chick's age. According to the results, thermal manipulation at 12 to 18 d of egg incubation positively (P ≤ 0.05) affected several studied traits. It improved some embryonic development traits, such as embryonic weight and tibia length, as well as some hatching parameters, such as hatching time and pipped eggs. It also improved hatched chick quality traits, including the chick's weight, length, and activity. In addition, it enhanced the posthatch chick's thermotolerance and body weight. Hatched chicks of G2 had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher total protein, albumin, IgM, glucose, calcium, total antioxidant, and T3 than G1 chicks. They also had significantly (P = 0.001) higher body weight (23%) at the 18th week of age than G1, as well as a lower feed conversion ratio (20.71%) than G1 chicks at 8 to 18 wk of age. Therefore, it is recommended to apply thermal manipulation during egg incubation, particularly at 12 to 18 d, for its positive effects on the pre- and posthatch performance.
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spelling doaj.art-0d6fb93b9e0e4c1d9791cb792d297a342024-01-04T04:35:46ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912024-01-011031103257Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditionsEbtsam Iraqi0Ali Abdel Hady1Nadia Elsayed2Hanaa Khalil3Amina El-Saadany4Karim El-Sabrout5Poultry Breeding Research Department, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, EgyptPoultry Breeding Research Department, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, EgyptPoultry Breeding Research Department, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, EgyptPoultry Breeding Research Department, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, EgyptPoultry Breeding Research Department, Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, EgyptPoultry Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt; Corresponding author:ABSTRACT: Thermal stress is a risk that threatens poultry welfare and productivity. Thermal manipulation during egg incubation is considered a prevention strategy used to mitigate the detrimental effects of high ambient temperatures on birds. This study aimed to investigate the impact of thermal manipulation, applied to chicken breeder's eggs during the incubation period, on embryonic development, hatching characteristics, and chick quality, as well as posthatch thermotolerance and performance. A total of 1,200 fertile eggs were randomly and equally assigned into 2 groups of 3 replicates (200 eggs/replicate), using a randomized experimental design followed by t test. The first group eggs (G1) were subjected to a commercial setter temperature of 37.5°C with 55% relative humidity (RH) throughout the incubation period (1–18 d) and served as a control, while the second group eggs (G2) were treated the same commercial setter conditions until the 11th day of the incubation, then the eggs were exposed to a higher temperature of 39.5°C with 60% RH for 4 h daily from the 12th to the 18th day of incubation. All eggs in both groups were exposed to the same temperature condition of 37.2°C with 70% RH from the 19th to the 22nd days of the incubation (hatching period). Three hundred hatched female chicks per each treatment group were transferred into a closed-system house and distributed randomly into 20 floor pens (15 birds per pen). At the 8th week of age, birds were exposed to a daily heat challenge by raising the temperature to 35°C for 6 h until the 18th week of the chick's age. According to the results, thermal manipulation at 12 to 18 d of egg incubation positively (P ≤ 0.05) affected several studied traits. It improved some embryonic development traits, such as embryonic weight and tibia length, as well as some hatching parameters, such as hatching time and pipped eggs. It also improved hatched chick quality traits, including the chick's weight, length, and activity. In addition, it enhanced the posthatch chick's thermotolerance and body weight. Hatched chicks of G2 had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher total protein, albumin, IgM, glucose, calcium, total antioxidant, and T3 than G1 chicks. They also had significantly (P = 0.001) higher body weight (23%) at the 18th week of age than G1, as well as a lower feed conversion ratio (20.71%) than G1 chicks at 8 to 18 wk of age. Therefore, it is recommended to apply thermal manipulation during egg incubation, particularly at 12 to 18 d, for its positive effects on the pre- and posthatch performance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579123007769antioxidant capacityincubation temperatureinternal organsthermotoleranceT3/T4 hormones
spellingShingle Ebtsam Iraqi
Ali Abdel Hady
Nadia Elsayed
Hanaa Khalil
Amina El-Saadany
Karim El-Sabrout
Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions
Poultry Science
antioxidant capacity
incubation temperature
internal organs
thermotolerance
T3/T4 hormones
title Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions
title_full Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions
title_fullStr Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions
title_full_unstemmed Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions
title_short Effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development, hatching process, and chick quality under heat-stress conditions
title_sort effect of thermal manipulation on embryonic development hatching process and chick quality under heat stress conditions
topic antioxidant capacity
incubation temperature
internal organs
thermotolerance
T3/T4 hormones
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579123007769
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