The relationship between hatching egg weight and subsequent performance of broiler chickens

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Small eggs constitute a high proportion of the eggs laid by pullets. The literature shows that chick hatching weight is strongly correlated with egg weight, but evidence on the influence of egg weight on hatchability and subsequent performance of chicks is less certain. The aim of this experiment was to determine the profit returned at 12 weeks by broiler chickens hatched from eggs ranging in weight from 44 g. to 58 g. at one gram intervals and to determine how competitive and separate rearing might modify the relationship. A total of 6000 eggs were collected during 10 days from a 28‐week‐old, broiler breeding flock and graded into the above mentioned egg weight classes. From these, a total of 3480 day‐old broilers were housed. Each egg weight class was equally represented and balanced for sex. Hatchability and fertility showed no consistent trend with egg weight for eggs above 46 g., but below the 47 g. level there was a trend of declining fertility and hatchability. A strong positive relationship was found between the weight of the chick at 1 day of age and egg weight for both males and females with no significant difference overall in body weight between the two sexes. Body weight to 12 weeks was found to be strongly related to egg weight, in a linear fashion, though this influence declined with age. There was a greater influence of egg weight on body weight at all ages in the separate rearing treatment compared with competitive rearing but this was not significant after 10 weeks. Egg weight had an important bearing on body weight and profit at 12 weeks, but no effect on food conversion or mortality. The increased profit over food costs per 100 day‐old chicks was found to be 52.75 cents for the separately reared birds respectively for each 3 g. increase in egg weight.