Hatchability of Turkey Eggs Shipped in Plastic Bags1

REQUIREMENTS OF PHEASANTS AND QUAIL

REFERENCES Beer, A. E., M. L. Scott and M. C. Nesheim, 1963. The effects of graded levels of pantothenic acid on the breeding performance of White Leghorn pullets. Brit. Poultry Sci. 4 : 243-253. Scott, M. L., 1951. Studies on the enlarged hock disorder in turkeys. 3. Evidence of the detrimental effect of fish liver oil and the beneficial effect of dried brewers yeast and other materials. Poultry Sci. 30: 846-855. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1954a. Studies on pheasant nutrition. 2. Protein and fiber levels in diets for young pheasants. Poultry Sci. 33 : 1237-1244. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds,

1954b. Studies on pheasant nutrition. 3. Effect of antibiotics, arsenicals and thyroactive compounds upon growth and feathering in pheasant chicks. Poultry Sci. 33: 1261-1265. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1955. Effect of diet on the ability of young pheasant chicks to withstand the stress of cold, drenching rain. Poultry Sci. 34: 949-956. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1958a. The calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D requirements of young pheasants. Poultry Sci. 37: 1419-1425. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1958b. A study of the phosphorus requirements of young Bobwhite quail. Poultry Sci. 37: 1425-1428. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1959. Studies on the niacin, riboflavin, choline, manganese and zinc requirements of young Ringnecked pheasants for growth, feathering, and prevention of leg disorders. Poultry Sci. 38: 1344-1350. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1961. Studies on the vitamin K requirements of young pheasants and quail. Poultry Sci. 40: 1593-1597. Scott, M. L., E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1963. Studies on the protein and methionine requirements of young Bobwhite quail and young Ringnecked pheasants. Poultry Sci. 42: 676-680. Scott, M. L., A. van Tienhoven, E. R. Holm and R. E. Reynolds, 1960. Studies on the sodium, chlorine and iodine requirements of young pheasants and quail. J. Nutrition, 71: 282-288.

Hatchability of Turkey Eggs Shipped in Plastic Bags1 WALTER A. BECKER, JOHN V. SPENCER AND JAMES L. SWARTWOOD Washington State University, Pullman (Received for publication May 19, 1964)

P

LACING hatching eggs in closed environments has been found to reduce the loss of hatchability attributable to storage effects (Becker, Spencer and Swartwood, 1963; Becker, 1964). Whether or not this 1

Scientific paper No. 2498, Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations, Pullman. Project 717.

method would also lessen the reduction in hatchability obtained when hatching eggs were shipped via rail was determined by the ensuing experiment. PROCEDURE Eggs were collected five times daily from 400 BBB turkey hens, mated ten hens to a pen in 40 single sire pens. Clean plastic

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found by Beer et al. (1963) for the White Leghorn chick. A purified diet highly enriched with all known nutrients and known to promote excellent growth and development in young domestic chicks, failed to support normal growth in pheasants or quail, and did not contain all nutrients needed to prevent a severe hock enlargement and bowing of the legs in the young pheasants. Brewers dried yeast, liver and glandular meal, and other natural feedstuffs appear to contain an unknown factor or factors required for growth and prevention of leg deformities in the pheasant and for growth and prevention of mortality in young quail.

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W. A. BECKER, J. V. SPENCER AND J. L. SWARTWOOD

lay to setting. Thus, the age of eggs varied from 14 to 19 days from lay to setting. RESULTS

The embryonic viabilities and hatchabilities by treatment and by days elapsed from lay to setting are presented in Table 1. The 0-10 day and 11-28 day viabilities of embryos and the hatchabilities of eggs kept in plastic bags were consistently higher than the viabilities of embryos and hatchabilities of eggs in the Control treatment. These viabilities and the hatchabilities decreased as the eggs were held and the longer the eggs were held the greater were the differences between the two treatments. With all storage periods combined, the hatchability of fertile eggs was 48% for eggs shipped by the usual method (Control) as compared with a hatchability of 67% when eggs were placed in plastic bags, a difference of 19%. A corresponding difference of 21% was found when the hatch of total eggs was examined. Both these differences were statistically significant at the 1% level, determined by calculating the confidence intervals.

TABLE 1.—Embryonic viability and hatchability of BBB turkey eggs shipped by rail in two environments Days (time of lay to setting)

Embryonic viability

Hatchability

0-10 11-28 P i p days days ping

Fertile Total eggs eggs

(%)

Treatment

(%)

14

Control Plastic bag

87 90

86 92

86 91

64 75

55 69

15

Control Plastic bag

78 91

81 88

87 91

55 73

47 62

16

Control Plastic bag

73 87

76 85

88 92

49 68

37 62

17

Control Plastic bag

64 90

79 83

92 91

47 68

39 60

18

Control Plastic bag

66 84

66 83

77 88

34 62

24 53

19

Control Plastic bag

63 80

70 85

83 83

36 57

29 49

14-19

Control Plastic bag

72 86

77 86

86 90

48 67

38 59

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filler flats which had been dipped in a 2% Environ-D disinfectant solution were used during collection and for transporting the eggs in the late afternoon to the egg storage room (53-57°F., 70-80% relative humidity). The eggs were held in cardboard egg cases until the next morning at which time the dirty and cracked eggs were removed. One hundred eggs were randomly assigned to one storage treatment which consisted of transferring the eggs to five fiber filler flats and placing them into one compartment of a cardboard case. This treatment was designated "Control." One hundred eggs were similarly transferred to five fiber filler flats and were all placed in a 71 X 118.5 cm. polyvinylidene chloride copolymer (Cryovac) plastic bag. The bag was sealed by twisting the open end and the end was secured with a rubber band. These eggs were then inserted in the adjoining compartment of the egg case. This procedure was followed for six consecutive days, the cases being stored in the egg storage room. The six cases were then secured for shipping and were placed aboard a railway express car. The eggs were sent to Tucson, Arizona, being routed via Spokane, Washington, Denver, Colorado, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. When they arrived at Tucson, they were returned to Pullman, Washington within twenty-four hours, via the same route. The express cars were maintained at temperatures of 65-75°F. and enroute the eggs were exposed to altitudes as high as 12,000 feet. The time in transit for the round trip was ten days. Upon arrival at Pullman, the cases were held for three days in the egg storage room. The eggs were then set in an incubator, candled at ten days and hatched after 29 days of incubation. The eggs subjected to minimum storage were held for one day before shipping, were ten days in transit and then were held for three days before setting, making 14 days from the time of

SHIPPING HATCHING EGGS

Thus, it can be inferred from these results that shipping turkey hatching eggs in a plastic lined container reduced the drop in hatchability as compared with the usual method of shipping.

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by W. R. Grace Co., Cambridge, Massachusetts. REFERENCES Becker, W. A., 1964. The storage of White Leghorn hatching eggs in plastic bags. Poultry Sci. 43:

1109-1112.

Becker, W. A., J. V. Spencer and J. L. Swartwood, 1963. Storing hatching eggs in plastic bags. Poultry Sci. 42 : 1256.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The Cryovac plastic bags were supplied

M.

K A T Z A N D L.

E.

DAWSON

Food Science Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan (Received for publication May 19, 1964)

I

N recent years, with an almost universal practice of chilling poultry in ice and water mixtures, much interest has been shown in studying the water absorption properties of poultry. Many factors affect water absorption and the more important ones were summarized by Brant (1963) as: water temperature, time of chilling, ice to water ratio, agitation, size of the bird, fat, skin thickness, and application of polyphosphates to the chilling water. Some parts of the broiler carcass were found to absorb more water than other parts. Kotula et al. (1960a) observed that carcasses with the necks intact absorbed more water than did carcasses which had the necks removed. Kotula et al. (1960b) reported that when the thigh area was opened during evisceration, there was an increase in water absorption. Klose et al. (1960) and Lentz and Rooke (1958) stated that water is trapped and loosely held in body cavities, under the

8 Appreciation is expressed to Dr. John H. Mahon, Research Development, Calgon Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. for assistance in this study. "Journal Article No. 3372, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

skin and between muscles. Lentz and Rooke (1958) also found that necks absorbed large quantities of water, both back and neck tissues swell when placed in a salt solution, thigh muscle absorbed more water than leg muscle, and that after 24 hours of immersion the moisture content of the skin increased 10 to 15 percent while that of the muscle increased 1 to 2 percent. Klose et al. (1960) and Bigbee (1962) have also found that breast muscle absorbed little water and the skin absorbed an appreciable quantity of water. Based on such findings, Bigbee (1962) suggested that skin is the primary tissue involved in changes of carcass weight. In chilling cut up poultry, Bailey et al. (1948) noted that after 135 minutes of agitated chilling, parts take up water as follows: back, 12 percent; breast with bone out, 10.4 percent; giblets, 7.8 percent; leg (thigh and drumstick), 6.5 percent; wings, 6.1 percent. Examination of the skin, muscle, bone, and adipose tissues showed that the water absorption by these tissues was 17.3, 13.2, 12.1, and 3.3 percent respectively. Lentz and Rooke (1958) reported that skin absorbed the greatest amount of

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Water Absorption and Retention by Cut Up Broiler Parts Chilled in Polyphosphate Solutionsab