Avian Production Management

FACTORS AFFECTING HATCHABILITY

Hatchability is defined as the number of chicks produced from eggs. It is measured by two means

• Hatchability on the total number of eggs set
• Hatchability on the fertile eggs set 

The factors affecting hatchability are:

• Breed, strain and individual variation.
• Presence of lethal and semi lethal genes like creeper, crooked toe, crooked beak, polydactyl conditions
• Intense Inbreeding leads to reduced fertility while out-breeding improves it.
• Management and nutritional status of breeding stock with special reference to minerals and vitamins alter hatchability considerably. B2 deficiency causes 0% hatchability. Vitamins A, B2 and E are critical vitamins which affect hatchability.
• Too high and very low temperature in breeder houses also lower hatchability.
• Hatchability is higher in egg from younger flocks and vice versa. Eggs from birds between the age of 21 to 40 weeks hatch well.
• Eggs having abnormal shape, too small or extra large eggs, thin shelled eggs with poor internal quality do not hatch well.
• Faulty pre-incubation storage conditions for eggs reduce the hatchability considerably
• Optimum temperature and humidity in incubator is most essential for desired hatchability. Abrupt and frequent variation in these factors alters hatchability seriously.
• The desire levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in incubator play major role in obtaining optimum hatchability seriously.
• The reverse setting of eggs with narrow end up lower the hatchability seriously
• Inadequate and faulty turning of eggs during incubation lower the hatchability.
• Use of separate hatcher with slight decrease in temperature and increase in humidity as compared to that setter improves hatchability.
• Diseases which are vertically transmitted lowers hatchability.