The effects of non-ventilation environments in setters on hatching characteristics of broiler breeder eggs and progeny performance

This study was designed to investigate the effects of non-ventilated incubator conditions during the first 10 and 14 days of incubation on fertile hatchability and 6 wk live performance of broiler chickens progenied from those treatments. Hatching eggs were obtained from broiler breeders (Ross 308) at 35 weeks of age. A total of 1152 eggs were used in the present study. All eggs were equally and randomly distributed into 3 incubators. The eggs of 3 groups were incubated under identical conditions at a set point 37.6 0C and a RH of 58% in setters for first 18 d of incubation. However, the ventilations procedures of the 3 groups were not identical. The first group were not ventilated from 0 to 10 d of incubation (NoV-10 d), whereas second group were not ventilated from 0 to 14 d of incubation (NoV-14 d). Thereafter, the NoV-10 d and NoV-14 d groups were incubated under standard conditions. The third group was designed as control and incubated under standard hatchery conditions during the whole incubation period. Newly hatched chicks were placed in floor pens and reared on common fed on commercial feeds and reared under standard management conditions from 1 to 6 wk of age. There were found that hatchability was improved in eggs incubated under the non ventilated incubator conditions until day 10 and 14 compared to control eggs. The time of hatch in chicks incubated under NoV-14 d conditions delayed. Throughout rearing, live body weights and FCR values were better in NoV-10 d than that of Nov-14 d and control groups. Data in the current study suggest that exposure of the embryos to the NoV environment during the first 10 d or 14 d of incubation resulted in positive effects on fertile hatchability and some live performance parameters of progeny birds.