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The Effect of Crinoline Cloth and Crowding of Turkey Eggs on Hatchability and Spraddle Legged Poults
337
RESEARCH NOTES
REFERENCES Clegg, R. E., A. T. Ericson and U. K. Misra, 1960. Effect of high levels of dietary cholesterol on the serum proteins of chicken. Poultry Sci. 39: 35-39.
Cherms, F. L., F. H. Wilcox and C. S. Shaffner, 1960. Genetic studies of serum cholesterol level in the chicken. Poultry Sci. 39: 889-892. Combs, G. F., and N. V. Helbacka, 1960. Studies with laying hens. 1. Effect of dietary fat, protein levels and other variables in practical rations. Poultry Sci. 39: 271-279. Johnson, D., A. L. Mehring and H. W. Titus, 1959. Variability of the blood plasma cholesterol of laying chickens. Poultry Sci. 38: 1109-1113. Koval, G. 1961. Cholesterol measurement in lipemic sera: Elimination of an extraneous chromogen. J. Lipid Res. 2:419-420. National Research Council, 1954. Nutrient requirements for poultry. Pub. 301. Zlatkis, A., B. Zak and A. J. Boyle 1953. A new method for direct determination of serum cholesterol. J. Lab. Clinical Med. 41: 486-492.
THE EFFECT OF CRINOLINE CLOTH AND CROWDING OF TURKEY EGGS ON HATCHABILITY AND SPRADDLE LEGGED POULTS JOHN C. VORIS AND FRED T. SHULTZ Nicholas Oak Hills Research Farm, 865 West Napa Street, Sonoma, California (Received for publication October 12, 1961)
A small but significant economic loss occurs at hatching from spraddle legged poults. Many hatcherymen believe that crowding turkey eggs on the hatching tray reduces the incidence of this condition. As part of a general study on hatching environment, crowding and the use of crinoline cloth were tested in pedigree baskets. PROCEDURE
wide, and 3J" deep) on the 24th day of incubation. The crinoline cloth was of fine mesh and hard finish of a type used in petticoats. Two degrees of crowding were tested, six eggs vs. three eggs per basket as well as crinoline vs. no crinoline. The two variables were arranged in a 2X2 design (Table 1). The four treatments were equally distributed over each hatching tray.
Broad Breasted White eggs were set June 19 and June 22, 1960. The first setting contained two weeks eggs averaging 8 days storage. The second setting contained eight days eggs averaging four days storage. The settings were from different flocks of the same strain. Only eggs containing live and apparently normal embryos were transferred to wire cloth pedigree baskets (8J" long, 5J"
There was obviously a large hatch main effect on hatchability, the second hatch being over 17% better than the first. This may have been due to length of storage prior to setting, flock differences, or factors associated with the time difference between the two hatches. Crinoline cloth apparently did not
RESULTS
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at North Dakota State University on June 8, 2015
Hampshire pullets. However, in both dietary treatments we observed individual serum cholesterol levels that were somewhat lower than those observed by Johnson et al. (1959). This was due in part to the difference in method used to determine cholesterol. The method of Koval (1961) removes an extraneous chromogen resulting in cholesterol values of approximately 20% lower than when the Zlatkis, Zak and Boyle (1953) method is used.
338
RESEARCH NOTES TABLE 1.—Hatchability and incidence of spraddle legged poults in four hatching environments
Eggs per basket
Crinoline cloth
Number of baskets
6 6 3 3
with without with without
25 25 52 52
2 1 13 9
fl.l} 79 " 6
1.3
58.7/61-4
11.5
429
25
70.3
Hatch II 120 121 135 139
3 2 7 15
86.9\„ 7 .
515
27
87.7
Hatch 1 128 110 100 91
with without with without
Total
23 23 52 52
138 138 155* 156 587
87. If1'6 87.1W .
89. i r
2.7 11.7
* One egg broken.
affect hatchability. In setting 1, for 6 eggs/basket, the difference (85.3 vs. 73.8) was significant by the chi square test at the .05 level. It was not significant in the other three comparisons. Crinoline cloth did not affect the incidence of spraddles, none of the four comparisons showing significance. The crowded eggs hatched over 18% better than the uncrowded eggs in the first hatch (P<.001). There was little difference in the second hatch. The incidence of spraddle poults was much less in the crowded baskets than in the uncrowded baskets (P<.001 in each hatch). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Crowding greatly reduced the incidence of spraddle legged poults in agreement with commercial hatchery observations. The active mechanism and whether the effect occurs before or after the poult is clear of the shell is not known. The crinoline cloth tested did not affect spraddle leg occurrence. Whether a softer, larger mesh type on which poults' toes could get a more secure hold would give
better results remains to be seen. The effects on hatchability were surprising. Crowding produced a more favorable hatching environment in the first, but not the second hatch, indicating a hatch-crowding interaction. Similarly, crinoline cloth had a detrimental effect on hatchability only in the first hatch. The hatch-crowding interaction effect on hatchability may be associated with a difference in flocks, with the treatment of the eggs between laying and hatching, or an incubator difference. Since the flocks were of the same strain, genetic differences would not appear implicated. Nutrition and management factors affecting the flocks differently could be involved. The difference between the hatches in duration of egg holding prior to incubation may well be a factor. The important point is: given conditions for low hatchability, the final hatching environment of the eggs was very important, whereas eggs reaching the hatching stage with a high hatchability potential were not affected by the variables used in this experiment.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at North Dakota State University on June 8, 2015
% spraddle of hatched
Poults hatched
610
Total 6 6 3 3
150 149* 156 155*
Number of spraddles
% hatch of transferred
Eggs transferred
RESEARCH NOTES
REFERENCES Clegg, R. E., A. T. Ericson and U. K. Misra, 1960. Effect of high levels of dietary cholesterol on the serum proteins of chicken. Poultry Sci. 39: 35-39.
Cherms, F. L., F. H. Wilcox and C. S. Shaffner, 1960. Genetic studies of serum cholesterol level in the chicken. Poultry Sci. 39: 889-892. Combs, G. F., and N. V. Helbacka, 1960. Studies with laying hens. 1. Effect of dietary fat, protein levels and other variables in practical rations. Poultry Sci. 39: 271-279. Johnson, D., A. L. Mehring and H. W. Titus, 1959. Variability of the blood plasma cholesterol of laying chickens. Poultry Sci. 38: 1109-1113. Koval, G. 1961. Cholesterol measurement in lipemic sera: Elimination of an extraneous chromogen. J. Lipid Res. 2:419-420. National Research Council, 1954. Nutrient requirements for poultry. Pub. 301. Zlatkis, A., B. Zak and A. J. Boyle 1953. A new method for direct determination of serum cholesterol. J. Lab. Clinical Med. 41: 486-492.
THE EFFECT OF CRINOLINE CLOTH AND CROWDING OF TURKEY EGGS ON HATCHABILITY AND SPRADDLE LEGGED POULTS JOHN C. VORIS AND FRED T. SHULTZ Nicholas Oak Hills Research Farm, 865 West Napa Street, Sonoma, California (Received for publication October 12, 1961)
A small but significant economic loss occurs at hatching from spraddle legged poults. Many hatcherymen believe that crowding turkey eggs on the hatching tray reduces the incidence of this condition. As part of a general study on hatching environment, crowding and the use of crinoline cloth were tested in pedigree baskets. PROCEDURE
wide, and 3J" deep) on the 24th day of incubation. The crinoline cloth was of fine mesh and hard finish of a type used in petticoats. Two degrees of crowding were tested, six eggs vs. three eggs per basket as well as crinoline vs. no crinoline. The two variables were arranged in a 2X2 design (Table 1). The four treatments were equally distributed over each hatching tray.
Broad Breasted White eggs were set June 19 and June 22, 1960. The first setting contained two weeks eggs averaging 8 days storage. The second setting contained eight days eggs averaging four days storage. The settings were from different flocks of the same strain. Only eggs containing live and apparently normal embryos were transferred to wire cloth pedigree baskets (8J" long, 5J"
There was obviously a large hatch main effect on hatchability, the second hatch being over 17% better than the first. This may have been due to length of storage prior to setting, flock differences, or factors associated with the time difference between the two hatches. Crinoline cloth apparently did not
RESULTS
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at North Dakota State University on June 8, 2015
Hampshire pullets. However, in both dietary treatments we observed individual serum cholesterol levels that were somewhat lower than those observed by Johnson et al. (1959). This was due in part to the difference in method used to determine cholesterol. The method of Koval (1961) removes an extraneous chromogen resulting in cholesterol values of approximately 20% lower than when the Zlatkis, Zak and Boyle (1953) method is used.
338
RESEARCH NOTES TABLE 1.—Hatchability and incidence of spraddle legged poults in four hatching environments
Eggs per basket
Crinoline cloth
Number of baskets
6 6 3 3
with without with without
25 25 52 52
2 1 13 9
fl.l} 79 " 6
1.3
58.7/61-4
11.5
429
25
70.3
Hatch II 120 121 135 139
3 2 7 15
86.9\„ 7 .
515
27
87.7
Hatch 1 128 110 100 91
with without with without
Total
23 23 52 52
138 138 155* 156 587
87. If1'6 87.1W .
89. i r
2.7 11.7
* One egg broken.
affect hatchability. In setting 1, for 6 eggs/basket, the difference (85.3 vs. 73.8) was significant by the chi square test at the .05 level. It was not significant in the other three comparisons. Crinoline cloth did not affect the incidence of spraddles, none of the four comparisons showing significance. The crowded eggs hatched over 18% better than the uncrowded eggs in the first hatch (P<.001). There was little difference in the second hatch. The incidence of spraddle poults was much less in the crowded baskets than in the uncrowded baskets (P<.001 in each hatch). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Crowding greatly reduced the incidence of spraddle legged poults in agreement with commercial hatchery observations. The active mechanism and whether the effect occurs before or after the poult is clear of the shell is not known. The crinoline cloth tested did not affect spraddle leg occurrence. Whether a softer, larger mesh type on which poults' toes could get a more secure hold would give
better results remains to be seen. The effects on hatchability were surprising. Crowding produced a more favorable hatching environment in the first, but not the second hatch, indicating a hatch-crowding interaction. Similarly, crinoline cloth had a detrimental effect on hatchability only in the first hatch. The hatch-crowding interaction effect on hatchability may be associated with a difference in flocks, with the treatment of the eggs between laying and hatching, or an incubator difference. Since the flocks were of the same strain, genetic differences would not appear implicated. Nutrition and management factors affecting the flocks differently could be involved. The difference between the hatches in duration of egg holding prior to incubation may well be a factor. The important point is: given conditions for low hatchability, the final hatching environment of the eggs was very important, whereas eggs reaching the hatching stage with a high hatchability potential were not affected by the variables used in this experiment.
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at North Dakota State University on June 8, 2015
% spraddle of hatched
Poults hatched
610
Total 6 6 3 3
150 149* 156 155*
Number of spraddles
% hatch of transferred
Eggs transferred