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Viability and Weight of Chicks as Affected by Shipping and Time Without Feed
Viability and Weight of Chicks as Affected by Shipping and Time Without Feed MARLOW W.
OLSEN
Assistant Poultry Husbandman AND BERLEY
WINTON*
(Received for publication August 27, 1940)
WO landmarks in the baby chick industry, the invention of the forced draft incubator and the acceptance of baby chicks in the United States mail, were established in 1918. Since that time there has been a rapid growth in the number of commercial hatcheries and in the traffic of chicks. It is estimated that approximately 775,000,000 chicks are produced annually by commercial hatcheries and a large proportion of these are shipped to customers located at considerable distances from the hatcheries. There is great variability not only in the age of chicks before shipment but also in the time they spend in and the treatment they receive during transit. No study has been made, so far as the authors are aware, which bears directly upon these factors or their combined influence upon the growth and mortality of chicks. An investigation was initiated at the Beltsville Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, in 1938, in order to obtain information relative to this problem. The experiment was designed to approximate as closely as possible actual commercial con-
T
* Effective July 10, 1940, Mr. Winton became director, Regional Poultry Research Laboratory, East Lansing, Michigan.
ditions and at the same time have these conditions as far as possible experimentally controlled. To facilitate making these arrangements the cooperation of the Railway Express Agency, Inc., was enlisted in order that a satisfactory train schedule could be determined from the standpoint of having all groups of chicks receive similar treatment and be in transit a definite number of hours. MATERIAL AND METHODS
The chicks used for these experiments were hatched from the eggs of mass-mated flocks of Single Comb Rhode Island Reds. The eggs were incubated in a forced draft incubator which was operated at a temperature of 100°F. and 60 percent relative humidity. The eggs were transferred, on the eighteenth day, to a separate hatcher which was operated at a temperature of 97°F. and maintained at 63 percent relative humidity. In order that the age of the chicks at hatching could be ascertained all chicks were removed from the respective trays at intervals of six hours during each hatch and placed in separate compartments in the hatcher. Upon completion of the hatch the chicks from each of four different
[243]
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Senior Poultry Husbandman, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland
244
MARLOW W. OLSEN AND BEELEY WINTON
ing. The weight of the surviving chicks was taken when they were two weeks old and the average weight calculated for each group and for each different age group. During the course of the year a total of 12 separate shipments of chicks (1,973 chicks) were made to each of the four destinations previously mentioned. These 12 shipments were so arranged that five shipments containing a total of 995 chicks were made during November and December, three shipments of a total of 580 chicks were made during February, and four shipments of a total of 400 chicks were made during June. RESULTS
In Figure 1 is shown graphically the variation which prevailed in the time of
474
478
482
486
490 494 498 TIME OF HATCH(HOURS)
FIG.
502
506
510
514
1
hatch during the normal incubation period. The percentages given in Figure 1 are calculated from the combined results of two February hatches totaling 1,481 Single Comb Rhode Island Red chicks. This curve was constructed to demonstrate the variability in the time of hatch among individual chicks of a representative hatch. The curve shows that over 90 percent of the chicks hatched between 480 and 504 hours of incubation, or during a 24-hour period. The data as given in Figure 1 indicate that there is as much as 40 hours difference in age
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age groups (those which hatched during the four six-hour intervals between the hours of 2:00 p.m. of the twentieth and 2:00 p.m. of the twenty-first day) were removed from the hatcher and identified with wing bands. The chicks from each of the four different groups were weighed and distributed equally in shipping boxes with respect to number, quality, and time of hatch and were shipped without feed or water to different destinations, and back. The four lots of chicks were shipped from Washington, D.C., at 8:30 p.m., on the same train. One lot of chicks was shipped to Youngstown, Ohio, and back, a distance of 735 miles; a second lot to Chicago, Illinois, and back, a distance of 1,550 miles; a third lot to St. Paul, Minnesota, and back, a distance of 2,400 miles; and a fourth lot to Grand Forks, North Dakota, and back, a distance of 3,050 miles. On arrival at each of these destinations, the chicks were returned by express to Washington, D.C. These particular shipping points were selected in order that all four lots of chicks would be shipped in the same direction and so that the respective shipments to each destination would be in transit approximately 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. Standard size boxes bedded with excelsior and with a capacity of 100 chicks were used for shipping purposes. Wooden strips nailed on the top and corners of each box facilitated ventilation for the chicks during transit. Immediately upon return to Washington, D.C, the chicks were taken to the Beltsville Research Center where they were weighed and the number of dead chicks recorded. After this they were placed in battery brooders located in a lighted room where the chicks had access to feed and water. The number of dead chicks from each of the four shipments was recorded each day for the first two weeks of brood-
VIABILITY AND WEIGHT OF CHICKS AS AFFECTED BY SHIPPING AND FEED
that on the average each chick contained approximately 1 gram of yolk material, with considerable variation among the chicks. Similar observations were reported by Parker (1929) who noted that although 1 O
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— O FEB. SHIPMENTS
X — - - - X JUNE SHIPMENTS
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FIG. 2
the distance shipped and the hours before feeding. In general, the chicks lost approximately 1 pound of weight per 100 chicks during the first 24 hours in transit and about 0.75 pound per 100 chicks for each subsequent 24-hour period during transit. Most of this decrease in weight probably represents loss of water and reserve yolk material. The average weight of the unabsorbed yolk material in 100 of the fall-hatched chicks which died after being in transit four days was determined. It was found
chicks after five days without feed died of starvation, autopsies revealed in many cases considerable quantities of unabsorbed yolk, suggesting that the yolk itself is not sufficient to support life. The rate of yolk absorption in unfed chicks has also been investigated by Schillings and Bleecker (1928); Holmes et al. (1929); and Heywang and Jull (1930). Heywang and Jull (1930) reported a yolk weight percentage of chick weight of 16.165 for chicks unfed for 24 hours, 10.74 for chicks unfed for 48 hours, and 8.435 for chicks unfed for 72 hours. These authors found only slight differences in rate of yolk absorption whether the chicks were or were not fed immediately after hatching. In Figure 3 is shown the average weight of chicks at two weeks of age in relation to the distance shipped and the hours before feeding for the chicks hatched at different seasons of the year. As one might expect, the farther the chicks were shipped, and consequently the longer the time they
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between the first and last hatched chicks. The curve also indicates that if a hatcheryman removes the chicks from the incubator as is customary soon after the completion of twenty-first day, some of the chicks will be at least 30 hours old whereas others may be only 1 hour old. The average weights of the fall, winter, and summer lots of chicks before and after they were shipped to the four separate destinations are shown in Figure 2 in pounds per 100 chicks. It will be observed that the chicks were shipped in February were the heaviest of the three seasonal groups before shipment, while the fallhatched chicks were the lightest. It is interesting to note, however, that irrespective of the original weight and the season of the year, there appears to be a fairly uniform loss of weight in each group in relation to
245
246
MARLOW W. OLSEN AND BERLEY WINTON
were without feed, the less they weighed at two weeks of age. As shown in Figure 3 there appears to be a tendency for a fairly direct relationship between shipping dis-
4
tance or hours before feeding and weight at two weeks. The groups of chicks which lost the least weight during transit maintained their advantage in weight over the lighter groups of chicks throughout the two-week period. The viability at the end of two weeks following shipment and the average weight at two weeks of the survivors in all groups of chicks are plotted in Figure 4 against distance shipped and hours before feeding. Each group of chicks shipped to separate destinations (Youngstown, Chicago, St. Paul, and Grand Forks) consisted of four sub-groups differing among themselves in time between hatching and feeding. Hours between hatching and feeding are given on the axis of abscissas, and it is to be emphasized that this interval between successive sub-groups as well as between last and first members of successive groups is uniformly six hours. Considering the average weight of survivors of all groups at two weeks, it is clear from Figure 4 that the data compose four plateaus corresponding to the four points of shipment. Each of these four plateaus consists of average weight at two
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FIG.
weeks of the four sub-groups differing only in time before feeding. It will be observed in these data, that the weight at two weeks of the different age groups of chicks to any one point of shipment is fairly uniform, but the weights of the chicks shipped to different points show a progressive decrease depending upon distance of shipment. The abrupt drop between any two of the plateaus indicates roughly the effect of time in transit and environmental conditions to which the chicks were subjected during transit upon the subsequent weight at two weeks of age. It appears that as the chicks become older and the non-feeding period increases, they have less vitality to withstand unfavorable environmental conditions encountered during shipment. The data in Figure 4 also show that with uniform environmental conditions, withholding feed for relatively short periods of time has little effect upon the average weights of chicks at two weeks of age. In Figure 5 is shown the average body weight of 11 groups of May-hatched Rhode Island Red chicks after different number of hours without feed and water. The average two week body weight of these same groups of chicks is also given. These chicks instead of being shipped were held in chick boxes at room temperature for the number of hours indicated in Figure S before being fed and watered. Each of the 11 groups was composed of a total of 100 chicks, each group being composed of chicks which hatched during the four six-hour periods mentioned previously. The data given in Figure 5 show that the weight loss of newly hatched chicks is closely associated with the length of time during which feed and water are withheld. The average weight of the chicks at 12 hours of age was 41.3 grams. After being subjected to a 132-hour holding period without feed and water the chicks weighed on an average 26.8 grams each, which represents
VIABILITY AND WEIGHT OF CHICKS AS AFFECTED BY SHIPPING AND FEED
100
1
.
1
1
1
1
I
BODY WEIGHT AT 2 WEEKS OF AGE
\
BODY WEIGHT AFTER PERIODS OF DELAYED FEEDING
\
^\" a
50
12
24
36
48
60
72
84
96 108 120 132
HOURS FROM HATCHING UNTIL FEEDING FIG.
5
lots in regard to weight. These chicks were weighed at intervals of two weeks and the results showed that by eight weeks the group of chicks that was the lightest in
> FEB. SHIPMENTS • X NOV.-DEC. SHIPMENTS - • JUNE SHIPMENTS
42 .
54
66
78
90
102
114
HOURS FPOM HATCHING UNTIL FEEDING FIG.
6
weight at two weeks was 94 percent as heavy as the heaviest lot. Figure 6 shows the average viability at two weeks of age for the three different seasonal shipments in relation to the distance shipped and hours before feeding. In this case, the chicks shipped in June showed the best viability while the chicks shipped in the fall showed by far the least viability of any of the three seasonal shipments. When each seasonal shipment is considered separately, however, it will be observed that there is a decrease in percentage viability. These results are in agreement with those reported by Parker (1929) where chicks without feed for five days had a higher three week mortality than those without feed for either two, three, or four days. In Figure 4 where the combined average percentage viability of the different age groups of chicks of all three seasonal shipments are shown, it will be observed that the greatest difference in percentage viability is between the different points of shipment rather than between the different age groups of chicks to any one point of shipment. This curve, like that of the
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a decrease in weight of 3S.1 percent. The curve representing the average two-week body weights of each group of chicks indicates that feed and water may be withheld for 60 hours after actual hatching time without materially affecting the growth of the chicks, provided favorable environmental conditions are supplied during the holding period. It also indicates that withholding feed and water from the chicks for 72 hours or longer after actual hatching time is detrimental as shown by the poorer growth rates to two weeks of age. During the course of these experiments, the chicks from one representative shipment to each of the four destinations, were kept for a period of eight weeks in order to determine whether or not the early handicaps were permanent in nature or whether the surviving chicks would eventually attain a weight equal to the best
247
248
MAELOW W. OLSEN AND BERLEY WINTON
growth curve shown in the same figure, is characterized by plateaus. This would suggest that, as in the case of weight at two weeks of age, the combined influence of delayed feeding and environmental conditions during transit were responsible for the differential viability among the chicks which were shipped to the different cities. No definite explanation can be advanced at the present time for the great difference in viability among the chicks shipped in the
the chicks were subjected not only to the period of delayed feeding but also to conditions encountered during transit. Under these conditions the difference in the reserve food supply probably would be of greater importance than where only one handicap had to be endured. It is possible that one or all three factors; namely, (1) number of transfers, (2) the time taken between transfers, and (3) the temperature at the time of transfer may
TABLE 1.—Number of transfers of chicks and total hours spent at transfer points in relation to average temperatures at different destinations
St. Paul, Minnesota Grand Forks, North D a k o t a . . . .
Number of Total hours transfers spent at during transfer transit points 1 1 3 5
S 9 5 9
*Average temperatures Nov.-Dec.
February
June
36 44 44.7 37.1
40 27 17 9
69 70.6 68.3 66.3
* Average temperatures shown were calculated from daily weather bureau reports for the same hours that the chicks were held at the transfer points.
fall as compared to the other seasons of the year. The fall chicks were hatched from eggs which were smaller than those used for hatching in February and June. It may be that the differential mortality was in part due to lower viability of the fallhatched chicks or to the difference in the amount of reserve yolk material in the chicks of the three different groups. Parker (1929), however, reported results which showed that when the yolk sacs of one day old chicks are removed these chicks stand a period of starvation almost as well as chicks which have the yolk sacs intact. This would suggest that the amount of unabsorbed yolk is not the most important factor in ability of chicks to withstand starvation.'It should be pointed out, however, that in the experiment by Parker the chicks were kept presumably under favorable environmental conditions during the starvation period while in this experiment
have caused the differential mortality among the chicks of the three seasonal shipments. However, as indicated in Table 1, the average temperature at the various destination points and points where the chicks were transferred was much lower in February than in November and December. Assuming that the handling conditions were similar at both seasons, the fallhatched chicks should have had an advantage over the February chicks. In spite of this, however, there is a much higher viability among the February chicks than in the corresponding groups of fall-hatched chicks which were sent to the same destinations. The percentage viability among the chicks of the various seasonal shipments on arrival, 3 days, and 14 days after arrival are given in Table 2. It will be observed that the average viability among the fallhatched chicks was lower during transit
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Shipping point
VIABILITY AND WEIGHT OF CHICKS AS AFFECTED BY SHIPPING AND FEED
249
TABLE 2.—Viability of chicks at different ages in relation to distance shipped and hours before feeding
Shipping point
Total distance to and from shipping point
Number of shipments
Ave. age of chicks when fed
Total no. of chicks shipped
Percent viability To 3 In days of transit brooding
To 2 wks. of
Fall Shipments Chicago, Illinois St. Paul, Minnesota Grand Forks, North Dakota..
735 1,550 2,400 3,050
Totals and averages
5 5 5 4
42 hrs. 66 hrs. 90 hrs. 114 hrs.
995 995 995 795
99.7 97.5 95.0 72.7
99.0 97.5 81.7 34.3
92.9 87.7 68.2 22.6
19
78 hrs.
3,780
92.7
80.4
70.3
Winter Shipments
Totals and averages
3 3 3 2
42 hrs. 66 hrs. 90 hrs. 114 hrs.
579 581 578 395
100.0 98.5 96.9 93.4
99.5 96.4 92.1 87.3
96.7 88.9 84.8 82.5
11
78 hrs.
2,133
97.5
94.4
88.7
hrs. hrs. hrs. hrs.
399 399 399 399
99.5 100.0 99.2 98.0
98.2 98.7 96.7 88.0
97.5 96.0 94.5 81.5
78 hrs.
1,596 7,509
99.2
95.4
92.4
Spring Shipments
Grand Forks, North Dakota.
735 1550 2400 3050
Totals and averages
4 4 4 4 16
and after three days than in either of the other two seasonal shipments. The data in Table 2 also show that, on the average, 22.9 percent of the first two weeks' mortality occurred during transit. By the end of the third day of brooding 62.7 percent of the first two weeks' mortality had occurred. Many of the chicks were so weak upon arrival that they were unable to stand and although an endeavor was made to aid the chicks to get feed and water, such as dipping each chick's beak in water, a large mortality was encountered. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION A total of 7,509 Rhode Island Red chicks of known ages, made up of (five fall, three winter, and four summer shipments, were sent by express from-Washington, D.C., to eaeh-ef four different points, in the United
42 66 90 114
States; namely, Youngstown, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Grand Forks, North Dakota. These shipments were arranged so that the chicks would leave Washington on the same train and return at intervals of approximately 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, respectively. Before shipment, (the chicks were first weighed and then wing-banded according to the time of hatch. It was found that approximately 90 percent of the chicks hatched between 480 and S04 hours of incubation but there was a difference of as much as 40 hours between the first and last hatched chicks^ Upon__r?turn to- Washington^ D.C.j -the chicks were taken to the Beltsville Research Center, - Beltsville, Maryland,-where they were weighed and the number of "dead chicks recorded. The chicks were then placed in lighted and heated batteries and
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Grand Forks, North Dakota..
735 1,550 2,400 3,050
250
MARLOW W. OLSEN AND BERLEY WINTON
weight of each of the control groups at two weeks of age showed that feed and water may be withheld for 60 hours after actual hatching time without materially affecting the growth of the chicks, provided they are held under favorable environmental conditions. REFERENCES
Heywang, B. W., and M. A. Jull, 1930. The influence of starving and feeding mash and scratch grain, respectively, at different times on yolk assimilation in chicks. Poultry Sci. 9:291295. Holmes C. E., J. G. Halpin, and B. A. Beach, 1929. No ill effects follow early feeding of baby chicks. Wisconsin Agr. Exp. Station Bulletin 405:44-46. Parker, Sylvia L., 1929. Effects of early handicaps on chickens as measured by yolk absorption and body weight to 20 weeks of age. Hilgardia 4 : 1 56. Schillings, S. J., and W. L. Bleecker, 1928. The absorption rate of the reserve yolk in baby chicks. Jour. Vet. Med. Asso. 72 (N.S. 25): 618-626.
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given feed and water. The average percentage viability and average weight for the chicks of each shipment were determined at two weeks. It was found that chicks approximately 12 hours old when shipped lost approximately 1 pound of weight per 100 chicks during the first 24-hour non-feed period and for each subsequent 24-hour period in transit lost approximately 0.7S of a pound per 100 chicks. It was also found that the shipments of chicks which lost the least weight during transit weighed the most and had the highest viability at two weeks of age. Conditions encountered as a result of shipping chicks were found to be important factors in their subsequent growth and viability. Eleven hundred May-hatched chicks, composed of 11 different groups, were used as controls and were held in chick boxes at room temperature for various periods of time ranging from 12 to 132 hours before being fed and watered. The average body
OLSEN
Assistant Poultry Husbandman AND BERLEY
WINTON*
(Received for publication August 27, 1940)
WO landmarks in the baby chick industry, the invention of the forced draft incubator and the acceptance of baby chicks in the United States mail, were established in 1918. Since that time there has been a rapid growth in the number of commercial hatcheries and in the traffic of chicks. It is estimated that approximately 775,000,000 chicks are produced annually by commercial hatcheries and a large proportion of these are shipped to customers located at considerable distances from the hatcheries. There is great variability not only in the age of chicks before shipment but also in the time they spend in and the treatment they receive during transit. No study has been made, so far as the authors are aware, which bears directly upon these factors or their combined influence upon the growth and mortality of chicks. An investigation was initiated at the Beltsville Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, in 1938, in order to obtain information relative to this problem. The experiment was designed to approximate as closely as possible actual commercial con-
T
* Effective July 10, 1940, Mr. Winton became director, Regional Poultry Research Laboratory, East Lansing, Michigan.
ditions and at the same time have these conditions as far as possible experimentally controlled. To facilitate making these arrangements the cooperation of the Railway Express Agency, Inc., was enlisted in order that a satisfactory train schedule could be determined from the standpoint of having all groups of chicks receive similar treatment and be in transit a definite number of hours. MATERIAL AND METHODS
The chicks used for these experiments were hatched from the eggs of mass-mated flocks of Single Comb Rhode Island Reds. The eggs were incubated in a forced draft incubator which was operated at a temperature of 100°F. and 60 percent relative humidity. The eggs were transferred, on the eighteenth day, to a separate hatcher which was operated at a temperature of 97°F. and maintained at 63 percent relative humidity. In order that the age of the chicks at hatching could be ascertained all chicks were removed from the respective trays at intervals of six hours during each hatch and placed in separate compartments in the hatcher. Upon completion of the hatch the chicks from each of four different
[243]
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at NERL on May 30, 2015
Senior Poultry Husbandman, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland
244
MARLOW W. OLSEN AND BEELEY WINTON
ing. The weight of the surviving chicks was taken when they were two weeks old and the average weight calculated for each group and for each different age group. During the course of the year a total of 12 separate shipments of chicks (1,973 chicks) were made to each of the four destinations previously mentioned. These 12 shipments were so arranged that five shipments containing a total of 995 chicks were made during November and December, three shipments of a total of 580 chicks were made during February, and four shipments of a total of 400 chicks were made during June. RESULTS
In Figure 1 is shown graphically the variation which prevailed in the time of
474
478
482
486
490 494 498 TIME OF HATCH(HOURS)
FIG.
502
506
510
514
1
hatch during the normal incubation period. The percentages given in Figure 1 are calculated from the combined results of two February hatches totaling 1,481 Single Comb Rhode Island Red chicks. This curve was constructed to demonstrate the variability in the time of hatch among individual chicks of a representative hatch. The curve shows that over 90 percent of the chicks hatched between 480 and 504 hours of incubation, or during a 24-hour period. The data as given in Figure 1 indicate that there is as much as 40 hours difference in age
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at NERL on May 30, 2015
age groups (those which hatched during the four six-hour intervals between the hours of 2:00 p.m. of the twentieth and 2:00 p.m. of the twenty-first day) were removed from the hatcher and identified with wing bands. The chicks from each of the four different groups were weighed and distributed equally in shipping boxes with respect to number, quality, and time of hatch and were shipped without feed or water to different destinations, and back. The four lots of chicks were shipped from Washington, D.C., at 8:30 p.m., on the same train. One lot of chicks was shipped to Youngstown, Ohio, and back, a distance of 735 miles; a second lot to Chicago, Illinois, and back, a distance of 1,550 miles; a third lot to St. Paul, Minnesota, and back, a distance of 2,400 miles; and a fourth lot to Grand Forks, North Dakota, and back, a distance of 3,050 miles. On arrival at each of these destinations, the chicks were returned by express to Washington, D.C. These particular shipping points were selected in order that all four lots of chicks would be shipped in the same direction and so that the respective shipments to each destination would be in transit approximately 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. Standard size boxes bedded with excelsior and with a capacity of 100 chicks were used for shipping purposes. Wooden strips nailed on the top and corners of each box facilitated ventilation for the chicks during transit. Immediately upon return to Washington, D.C, the chicks were taken to the Beltsville Research Center where they were weighed and the number of dead chicks recorded. After this they were placed in battery brooders located in a lighted room where the chicks had access to feed and water. The number of dead chicks from each of the four shipments was recorded each day for the first two weeks of brood-
VIABILITY AND WEIGHT OF CHICKS AS AFFECTED BY SHIPPING AND FEED
that on the average each chick contained approximately 1 gram of yolk material, with considerable variation among the chicks. Similar observations were reported by Parker (1929) who noted that although 1 O
1
1
1
1
'
'
— O FEB. SHIPMENTS
X — - - - X JUNE SHIPMENTS
^ - **^
"*x«*J ""**•*..
"*"xx
?-*. .
V V
••
—.
l " * " -
^ ^ ? ^
LES
u ->l
•-dr-H-
m -2,400 42
48
x
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--.— r , —-*
s
u
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"^•n^.
^
i
54 60 66 72 78 84 90 96 102 108 144 HOURS FROM HATCHING UNTIL FEEDING
FIG. 3 0
rS>
NO
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"*,
^^ '"*•?
5
I
" " •
0 MILE
0 MILES
f>
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18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72 78 84 90 96 102 I0S 114 120 HOURS FROM HATCHIN6 UNTIL FEEDING
FIG. 2
the distance shipped and the hours before feeding. In general, the chicks lost approximately 1 pound of weight per 100 chicks during the first 24 hours in transit and about 0.75 pound per 100 chicks for each subsequent 24-hour period during transit. Most of this decrease in weight probably represents loss of water and reserve yolk material. The average weight of the unabsorbed yolk material in 100 of the fall-hatched chicks which died after being in transit four days was determined. It was found
chicks after five days without feed died of starvation, autopsies revealed in many cases considerable quantities of unabsorbed yolk, suggesting that the yolk itself is not sufficient to support life. The rate of yolk absorption in unfed chicks has also been investigated by Schillings and Bleecker (1928); Holmes et al. (1929); and Heywang and Jull (1930). Heywang and Jull (1930) reported a yolk weight percentage of chick weight of 16.165 for chicks unfed for 24 hours, 10.74 for chicks unfed for 48 hours, and 8.435 for chicks unfed for 72 hours. These authors found only slight differences in rate of yolk absorption whether the chicks were or were not fed immediately after hatching. In Figure 3 is shown the average weight of chicks at two weeks of age in relation to the distance shipped and the hours before feeding for the chicks hatched at different seasons of the year. As one might expect, the farther the chicks were shipped, and consequently the longer the time they
Downloaded from http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/ at NERL on May 30, 2015
between the first and last hatched chicks. The curve also indicates that if a hatcheryman removes the chicks from the incubator as is customary soon after the completion of twenty-first day, some of the chicks will be at least 30 hours old whereas others may be only 1 hour old. The average weights of the fall, winter, and summer lots of chicks before and after they were shipped to the four separate destinations are shown in Figure 2 in pounds per 100 chicks. It will be observed that the chicks were shipped in February were the heaviest of the three seasonal groups before shipment, while the fallhatched chicks were the lightest. It is interesting to note, however, that irrespective of the original weight and the season of the year, there appears to be a fairly uniform loss of weight in each group in relation to
245
246
MARLOW W. OLSEN AND BERLEY WINTON
were without feed, the less they weighed at two weeks of age. As shown in Figure 3 there appears to be a tendency for a fairly direct relationship between shipping dis-
4
tance or hours before feeding and weight at two weeks. The groups of chicks which lost the least weight during transit maintained their advantage in weight over the lighter groups of chicks throughout the two-week period. The viability at the end of two weeks following shipment and the average weight at two weeks of the survivors in all groups of chicks are plotted in Figure 4 against distance shipped and hours before feeding. Each group of chicks shipped to separate destinations (Youngstown, Chicago, St. Paul, and Grand Forks) consisted of four sub-groups differing among themselves in time between hatching and feeding. Hours between hatching and feeding are given on the axis of abscissas, and it is to be emphasized that this interval between successive sub-groups as well as between last and first members of successive groups is uniformly six hours. Considering the average weight of survivors of all groups at two weeks, it is clear from Figure 4 that the data compose four plateaus corresponding to the four points of shipment. Each of these four plateaus consists of average weight at two
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FIG.
weeks of the four sub-groups differing only in time before feeding. It will be observed in these data, that the weight at two weeks of the different age groups of chicks to any one point of shipment is fairly uniform, but the weights of the chicks shipped to different points show a progressive decrease depending upon distance of shipment. The abrupt drop between any two of the plateaus indicates roughly the effect of time in transit and environmental conditions to which the chicks were subjected during transit upon the subsequent weight at two weeks of age. It appears that as the chicks become older and the non-feeding period increases, they have less vitality to withstand unfavorable environmental conditions encountered during shipment. The data in Figure 4 also show that with uniform environmental conditions, withholding feed for relatively short periods of time has little effect upon the average weights of chicks at two weeks of age. In Figure 5 is shown the average body weight of 11 groups of May-hatched Rhode Island Red chicks after different number of hours without feed and water. The average two week body weight of these same groups of chicks is also given. These chicks instead of being shipped were held in chick boxes at room temperature for the number of hours indicated in Figure S before being fed and watered. Each of the 11 groups was composed of a total of 100 chicks, each group being composed of chicks which hatched during the four six-hour periods mentioned previously. The data given in Figure 5 show that the weight loss of newly hatched chicks is closely associated with the length of time during which feed and water are withheld. The average weight of the chicks at 12 hours of age was 41.3 grams. After being subjected to a 132-hour holding period without feed and water the chicks weighed on an average 26.8 grams each, which represents
VIABILITY AND WEIGHT OF CHICKS AS AFFECTED BY SHIPPING AND FEED
100
1
.
1
1
1
1
I
BODY WEIGHT AT 2 WEEKS OF AGE
\
BODY WEIGHT AFTER PERIODS OF DELAYED FEEDING
\
^\" a
50
12
24
36
48
60
72
84
96 108 120 132
HOURS FROM HATCHING UNTIL FEEDING FIG.
5
lots in regard to weight. These chicks were weighed at intervals of two weeks and the results showed that by eight weeks the group of chicks that was the lightest in
> FEB. SHIPMENTS • X NOV.-DEC. SHIPMENTS - • JUNE SHIPMENTS
42 .
54
66
78
90
102
114
HOURS FPOM HATCHING UNTIL FEEDING FIG.
6
weight at two weeks was 94 percent as heavy as the heaviest lot. Figure 6 shows the average viability at two weeks of age for the three different seasonal shipments in relation to the distance shipped and hours before feeding. In this case, the chicks shipped in June showed the best viability while the chicks shipped in the fall showed by far the least viability of any of the three seasonal shipments. When each seasonal shipment is considered separately, however, it will be observed that there is a decrease in percentage viability. These results are in agreement with those reported by Parker (1929) where chicks without feed for five days had a higher three week mortality than those without feed for either two, three, or four days. In Figure 4 where the combined average percentage viability of the different age groups of chicks of all three seasonal shipments are shown, it will be observed that the greatest difference in percentage viability is between the different points of shipment rather than between the different age groups of chicks to any one point of shipment. This curve, like that of the
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a decrease in weight of 3S.1 percent. The curve representing the average two-week body weights of each group of chicks indicates that feed and water may be withheld for 60 hours after actual hatching time without materially affecting the growth of the chicks, provided favorable environmental conditions are supplied during the holding period. It also indicates that withholding feed and water from the chicks for 72 hours or longer after actual hatching time is detrimental as shown by the poorer growth rates to two weeks of age. During the course of these experiments, the chicks from one representative shipment to each of the four destinations, were kept for a period of eight weeks in order to determine whether or not the early handicaps were permanent in nature or whether the surviving chicks would eventually attain a weight equal to the best
247
248
MAELOW W. OLSEN AND BERLEY WINTON
growth curve shown in the same figure, is characterized by plateaus. This would suggest that, as in the case of weight at two weeks of age, the combined influence of delayed feeding and environmental conditions during transit were responsible for the differential viability among the chicks which were shipped to the different cities. No definite explanation can be advanced at the present time for the great difference in viability among the chicks shipped in the
the chicks were subjected not only to the period of delayed feeding but also to conditions encountered during transit. Under these conditions the difference in the reserve food supply probably would be of greater importance than where only one handicap had to be endured. It is possible that one or all three factors; namely, (1) number of transfers, (2) the time taken between transfers, and (3) the temperature at the time of transfer may
TABLE 1.—Number of transfers of chicks and total hours spent at transfer points in relation to average temperatures at different destinations
St. Paul, Minnesota Grand Forks, North D a k o t a . . . .
Number of Total hours transfers spent at during transfer transit points 1 1 3 5
S 9 5 9
*Average temperatures Nov.-Dec.
February
June
36 44 44.7 37.1
40 27 17 9
69 70.6 68.3 66.3
* Average temperatures shown were calculated from daily weather bureau reports for the same hours that the chicks were held at the transfer points.
fall as compared to the other seasons of the year. The fall chicks were hatched from eggs which were smaller than those used for hatching in February and June. It may be that the differential mortality was in part due to lower viability of the fallhatched chicks or to the difference in the amount of reserve yolk material in the chicks of the three different groups. Parker (1929), however, reported results which showed that when the yolk sacs of one day old chicks are removed these chicks stand a period of starvation almost as well as chicks which have the yolk sacs intact. This would suggest that the amount of unabsorbed yolk is not the most important factor in ability of chicks to withstand starvation.'It should be pointed out, however, that in the experiment by Parker the chicks were kept presumably under favorable environmental conditions during the starvation period while in this experiment
have caused the differential mortality among the chicks of the three seasonal shipments. However, as indicated in Table 1, the average temperature at the various destination points and points where the chicks were transferred was much lower in February than in November and December. Assuming that the handling conditions were similar at both seasons, the fallhatched chicks should have had an advantage over the February chicks. In spite of this, however, there is a much higher viability among the February chicks than in the corresponding groups of fall-hatched chicks which were sent to the same destinations. The percentage viability among the chicks of the various seasonal shipments on arrival, 3 days, and 14 days after arrival are given in Table 2. It will be observed that the average viability among the fallhatched chicks was lower during transit
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Shipping point
VIABILITY AND WEIGHT OF CHICKS AS AFFECTED BY SHIPPING AND FEED
249
TABLE 2.—Viability of chicks at different ages in relation to distance shipped and hours before feeding
Shipping point
Total distance to and from shipping point
Number of shipments
Ave. age of chicks when fed
Total no. of chicks shipped
Percent viability To 3 In days of transit brooding
To 2 wks. of
Fall Shipments Chicago, Illinois St. Paul, Minnesota Grand Forks, North Dakota..
735 1,550 2,400 3,050
Totals and averages
5 5 5 4
42 hrs. 66 hrs. 90 hrs. 114 hrs.
995 995 995 795
99.7 97.5 95.0 72.7
99.0 97.5 81.7 34.3
92.9 87.7 68.2 22.6
19
78 hrs.
3,780
92.7
80.4
70.3
Winter Shipments
Totals and averages
3 3 3 2
42 hrs. 66 hrs. 90 hrs. 114 hrs.
579 581 578 395
100.0 98.5 96.9 93.4
99.5 96.4 92.1 87.3
96.7 88.9 84.8 82.5
11
78 hrs.
2,133
97.5
94.4
88.7
hrs. hrs. hrs. hrs.
399 399 399 399
99.5 100.0 99.2 98.0
98.2 98.7 96.7 88.0
97.5 96.0 94.5 81.5
78 hrs.
1,596 7,509
99.2
95.4
92.4
Spring Shipments
Grand Forks, North Dakota.
735 1550 2400 3050
Totals and averages
4 4 4 4 16
and after three days than in either of the other two seasonal shipments. The data in Table 2 also show that, on the average, 22.9 percent of the first two weeks' mortality occurred during transit. By the end of the third day of brooding 62.7 percent of the first two weeks' mortality had occurred. Many of the chicks were so weak upon arrival that they were unable to stand and although an endeavor was made to aid the chicks to get feed and water, such as dipping each chick's beak in water, a large mortality was encountered. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION A total of 7,509 Rhode Island Red chicks of known ages, made up of (five fall, three winter, and four summer shipments, were sent by express from-Washington, D.C., to eaeh-ef four different points, in the United
42 66 90 114
States; namely, Youngstown, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Grand Forks, North Dakota. These shipments were arranged so that the chicks would leave Washington on the same train and return at intervals of approximately 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, respectively. Before shipment, (the chicks were first weighed and then wing-banded according to the time of hatch. It was found that approximately 90 percent of the chicks hatched between 480 and S04 hours of incubation but there was a difference of as much as 40 hours between the first and last hatched chicks^ Upon__r?turn to- Washington^ D.C.j -the chicks were taken to the Beltsville Research Center, - Beltsville, Maryland,-where they were weighed and the number of "dead chicks recorded. The chicks were then placed in lighted and heated batteries and
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Grand Forks, North Dakota..
735 1,550 2,400 3,050
250
MARLOW W. OLSEN AND BERLEY WINTON
weight of each of the control groups at two weeks of age showed that feed and water may be withheld for 60 hours after actual hatching time without materially affecting the growth of the chicks, provided they are held under favorable environmental conditions. REFERENCES
Heywang, B. W., and M. A. Jull, 1930. The influence of starving and feeding mash and scratch grain, respectively, at different times on yolk assimilation in chicks. Poultry Sci. 9:291295. Holmes C. E., J. G. Halpin, and B. A. Beach, 1929. No ill effects follow early feeding of baby chicks. Wisconsin Agr. Exp. Station Bulletin 405:44-46. Parker, Sylvia L., 1929. Effects of early handicaps on chickens as measured by yolk absorption and body weight to 20 weeks of age. Hilgardia 4 : 1 56. Schillings, S. J., and W. L. Bleecker, 1928. The absorption rate of the reserve yolk in baby chicks. Jour. Vet. Med. Asso. 72 (N.S. 25): 618-626.
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given feed and water. The average percentage viability and average weight for the chicks of each shipment were determined at two weeks. It was found that chicks approximately 12 hours old when shipped lost approximately 1 pound of weight per 100 chicks during the first 24-hour non-feed period and for each subsequent 24-hour period in transit lost approximately 0.7S of a pound per 100 chicks. It was also found that the shipments of chicks which lost the least weight during transit weighed the most and had the highest viability at two weeks of age. Conditions encountered as a result of shipping chicks were found to be important factors in their subsequent growth and viability. Eleven hundred May-hatched chicks, composed of 11 different groups, were used as controls and were held in chick boxes at room temperature for various periods of time ranging from 12 to 132 hours before being fed and watered. The average body