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A Relationship between the Length of Storage and Incubation Periods in Broad Breasted Bronze Eggs*
620
RESEARCH NOTES
A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LENGTH OF STORAGE AND INCUBATION PERIODS IN BROAD BREASTED BRONZE EGGS* I. L. KOSIN Department of Poultry Husbandry, State College of Washington, Pullman (Received for publication April 5, 1950)
ACCORDING to Olsen (1942), 1-16 -**- day storage of turkey eggs before setting bears no relationship to the length of the subsequent incubation period. His findings, based on "small type white turkeys" (presumably the early version of the present-day Beltsville Small Whites), were at variance with the observations of Byerly (1933), and Funk (1934), who found in the chicken a correlation between the two factors. In view of this, it was considered advisable to reinvestigate this aspect of hatchability in turkeys. Accordingly, a study was conducted in May 1949, based on nine pens of single-torn mated Broad Breasted Bronze hens. On the average there were twelve hens per pen. The storage periods of hatching eggs were 24, 48, 96, and 192 hours.
standpoint of temperature and humidity levels, was routine. The fact that eggs were set only twice a day introduced a discrepancy of from 1 to 4 hours in the estimated storage time, but because it applied at random to all eggs, it was disregarded. Similar reasoning led to the disregarding of the other discrepancy in estimating the hatching time of the poults. The latter were taken off three times a day—at 10 a.m., 5 p.m., and 10 p.m. Poults hatched during the night were credited to 10 a.m. In estimating the total incubation time for a poult, the starting point was the time of setting. The terminating point was the hour the poult was removed from the hatcher. Altogether, 1183 poults were hatched in this study.
The eggs were collected daily at hourly intervals between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and then once at 8 p.m. All eggs were placed in storage within 4 hours of laying. The storage temperature varied between 55° and 60°F., and the mean relative humidity was 75 percent. Eggs laid before 1 p.m. were labeled as "a.m. eggs," with all others being "p.m." eggs. The eggs were set daily, either at 8 a.m. (for the a.m. eggs) or at 4 p.m. (for the p.m. eggs), in one of the forced draft incubators regularly used in this department for hatching turkeys. The management of the incubator, from the
Principal results of the study are summarized below:
* Published as Scientific Paper No. 906, Agricultural Experiment Stations, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, State College of Washington, Pullman, Washington.
Pen 1 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11
HOURS OF 24 and 48 673 671 670 670 664 660 670 670 668 668 671 672 672 676 673 671 665 672
STORAGE 96 and 192
676 671 669 671 674 683 679 682 674
681 678 669 681 677 675 678 677 674
Weighted average of all pens
670
671
675
677
(260)*
(339)
(291)
(293)
% Hatchability: of fertile eggs 72.7
72.6
66.9
68.4
of Total eggs: 67.8
66.4
54.7
59.7
* Number of poults hatched.
621
RESEARCH NOTES
While the number of poults involved is relatively small, the trend is consistent: The incubation periods for the 96 and 192 hour egg groups were in every case longer than those for the 24 and 48 hour groups. Within these two major divisions, the trend is less apparent, although, when the results are averaged, the four groups present a striking agreement between the two variables under the study. Is it possible that the delayed hatching in the "older" eggs is another expression of the phenomenon of organismal senescence which is more dramatically expressed by reduced hatchability? Asmundson (1947) reported that turkey eggs held for more than 3 days prior to setting showed lower hatchability. This finding is supported by the present study. As was shown above, the deleterious effects of storage, reflected both by lowered hatchability and longer incubation period, became appar-
ent after 48 hours of storage. On the basis of the above data, it can be concluded, therefore, that the storing of Broad Breasted Bronze eggs for 4-8 days lengthens their incubation period as compared with that of the eggs stored for only 1 or 2 days. Paralleling this, there is a trend toward lowered hatchability in the eggs stored beyond the first 48 hours after oviposition. REFERENCES Asmundson, V. S., 1947. Time held prior to incubation and hatchability of turkey eggs. Poultry Sci. 24: 305-307. Byerly, T. C , 1933. Some factors affecting the length of the incubation period. Proc. Sth World's Poultry Congress, 2: 373-379. Funk, E. M., 1934. Factors affecting hatchability in the domestic fowl. Missouri Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 341, pp. 1-22. Olsen, M. W., 1942. The effect of age and weight of turkey eggs on the length of the incubation period. Poultry Sci. 21: 532-535.
THE EFFECT OF SULFAMERAZINE UPON EGG PRODUCTION AND HATCHABILITY BERNARD B. R I E D E L
Disease Research, Poultry Department, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (Received for publication April it, 1950)
The sulfonamides are known to have therapeutic value for the control of certain bacterial and protozoan diseases in animals. In the poultry industry sulfamerazine has gained a lot of experimental attention, particularly since it reduces the mortality from pullorum in growing chickens (Battorff and Kiser, 1947; MacNamee, 1947; Roberts, Card and Alberts, 1948). The sulfonamide has also been reported to be effective in reducing pullorum infections among pullets (Mullen, 1946; and Riedel, 1950); but if treatment at a high level is continued for any length of time, toxic symptoms may
develop and weight gains may be retarded (Farr and Jaquette, 1947). In view of these toxic symptoms the present investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of sulfamerazine treatment upon egg production and hatchability. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND RESULTS
A total of 60 Rhode Island Red pullets were separated into four equal groups and placed in separate pens. Two cockerels were placed with each group. Two of these groups served as controls, and the two remaining groups served as experi-
RESEARCH NOTES
A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LENGTH OF STORAGE AND INCUBATION PERIODS IN BROAD BREASTED BRONZE EGGS* I. L. KOSIN Department of Poultry Husbandry, State College of Washington, Pullman (Received for publication April 5, 1950)
ACCORDING to Olsen (1942), 1-16 -**- day storage of turkey eggs before setting bears no relationship to the length of the subsequent incubation period. His findings, based on "small type white turkeys" (presumably the early version of the present-day Beltsville Small Whites), were at variance with the observations of Byerly (1933), and Funk (1934), who found in the chicken a correlation between the two factors. In view of this, it was considered advisable to reinvestigate this aspect of hatchability in turkeys. Accordingly, a study was conducted in May 1949, based on nine pens of single-torn mated Broad Breasted Bronze hens. On the average there were twelve hens per pen. The storage periods of hatching eggs were 24, 48, 96, and 192 hours.
standpoint of temperature and humidity levels, was routine. The fact that eggs were set only twice a day introduced a discrepancy of from 1 to 4 hours in the estimated storage time, but because it applied at random to all eggs, it was disregarded. Similar reasoning led to the disregarding of the other discrepancy in estimating the hatching time of the poults. The latter were taken off three times a day—at 10 a.m., 5 p.m., and 10 p.m. Poults hatched during the night were credited to 10 a.m. In estimating the total incubation time for a poult, the starting point was the time of setting. The terminating point was the hour the poult was removed from the hatcher. Altogether, 1183 poults were hatched in this study.
The eggs were collected daily at hourly intervals between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and then once at 8 p.m. All eggs were placed in storage within 4 hours of laying. The storage temperature varied between 55° and 60°F., and the mean relative humidity was 75 percent. Eggs laid before 1 p.m. were labeled as "a.m. eggs," with all others being "p.m." eggs. The eggs were set daily, either at 8 a.m. (for the a.m. eggs) or at 4 p.m. (for the p.m. eggs), in one of the forced draft incubators regularly used in this department for hatching turkeys. The management of the incubator, from the
Principal results of the study are summarized below:
* Published as Scientific Paper No. 906, Agricultural Experiment Stations, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, State College of Washington, Pullman, Washington.
Pen 1 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11
HOURS OF 24 and 48 673 671 670 670 664 660 670 670 668 668 671 672 672 676 673 671 665 672
STORAGE 96 and 192
676 671 669 671 674 683 679 682 674
681 678 669 681 677 675 678 677 674
Weighted average of all pens
670
671
675
677
(260)*
(339)
(291)
(293)
% Hatchability: of fertile eggs 72.7
72.6
66.9
68.4
of Total eggs: 67.8
66.4
54.7
59.7
* Number of poults hatched.
621
RESEARCH NOTES
While the number of poults involved is relatively small, the trend is consistent: The incubation periods for the 96 and 192 hour egg groups were in every case longer than those for the 24 and 48 hour groups. Within these two major divisions, the trend is less apparent, although, when the results are averaged, the four groups present a striking agreement between the two variables under the study. Is it possible that the delayed hatching in the "older" eggs is another expression of the phenomenon of organismal senescence which is more dramatically expressed by reduced hatchability? Asmundson (1947) reported that turkey eggs held for more than 3 days prior to setting showed lower hatchability. This finding is supported by the present study. As was shown above, the deleterious effects of storage, reflected both by lowered hatchability and longer incubation period, became appar-
ent after 48 hours of storage. On the basis of the above data, it can be concluded, therefore, that the storing of Broad Breasted Bronze eggs for 4-8 days lengthens their incubation period as compared with that of the eggs stored for only 1 or 2 days. Paralleling this, there is a trend toward lowered hatchability in the eggs stored beyond the first 48 hours after oviposition. REFERENCES Asmundson, V. S., 1947. Time held prior to incubation and hatchability of turkey eggs. Poultry Sci. 24: 305-307. Byerly, T. C , 1933. Some factors affecting the length of the incubation period. Proc. Sth World's Poultry Congress, 2: 373-379. Funk, E. M., 1934. Factors affecting hatchability in the domestic fowl. Missouri Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 341, pp. 1-22. Olsen, M. W., 1942. The effect of age and weight of turkey eggs on the length of the incubation period. Poultry Sci. 21: 532-535.
THE EFFECT OF SULFAMERAZINE UPON EGG PRODUCTION AND HATCHABILITY BERNARD B. R I E D E L
Disease Research, Poultry Department, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (Received for publication April it, 1950)
The sulfonamides are known to have therapeutic value for the control of certain bacterial and protozoan diseases in animals. In the poultry industry sulfamerazine has gained a lot of experimental attention, particularly since it reduces the mortality from pullorum in growing chickens (Battorff and Kiser, 1947; MacNamee, 1947; Roberts, Card and Alberts, 1948). The sulfonamide has also been reported to be effective in reducing pullorum infections among pullets (Mullen, 1946; and Riedel, 1950); but if treatment at a high level is continued for any length of time, toxic symptoms may
develop and weight gains may be retarded (Farr and Jaquette, 1947). In view of these toxic symptoms the present investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of sulfamerazine treatment upon egg production and hatchability. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND RESULTS
A total of 60 Rhode Island Red pullets were separated into four equal groups and placed in separate pens. Two cockerels were placed with each group. Two of these groups served as controls, and the two remaining groups served as experi-