Storage of hatching eggs

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Abstract
An experiment is reported in which hatching eggs were stored in a room at 12.7° ± 1.1° C. for up to 3 weeks after storage on the farm for 2 to 5 days. The eggs were stored in the room on keyes trays in part open‐sided wooden boxes or in sealed Cryovac bags or in sealed Cryovac bags flushed out with nitrogen before sealing. It was found that the normal decline in hatchability with storage time was reduced by storage in bags. There was no difference in hatchability between bags with or without nitrogen though there was an indication that the proportion of cull chicks at hatching was reduced by storage in bags flushed out with nitrogen for eggs stored more than 8 days. The effect on hatchability of the storage in bags is pinpointed as resulting from reduced embryonic loss between fertilisation and the 2nd day of incubation. This disagrees with a previous result and it is suggested that differences in genetic origin of eggs may account for differences in time of effect of storage treatment.