Effect of egg position during three and fourteen days of storage and turning frequency during subsequent incubation on hatchability of broiler hatching eggs.

Two experiments were carried out to examine the interaction of egg storage period, egg position during storage, and turning frequency during subsequent incubation on fertile hatchability and embryonic mortality of broiler hatching eggs. Broiler hatching eggs from breeder flocks at 62 and 60 wk of age were stored for either 3 or 14 d at 18 degrees C and 75% RH in either the normal large end up or inverted small end up (SEU) position and then turned either 24 or 96 times daily to 18 d of incubation in 2 experiments. The longer storage period decreased fertile hatchability, whereas storage in the SEU position improved fertile hatchability in both experiments. There was a significant storage position x length of storage period interaction in both experiments due to better fertile hatchability for the SEU eggs stored 14 d but not 3 d. The 96-times turning frequency numerically improved fertile hatchability in both experiments. A significant storage period x turning frequency interaction in experiment 1 was related to a 6.6% increase in fertile hatchability of 14-d stored eggs due to increased turning frequency. A similar numerical increase of 4.9% was observed in experiment 2. These data show that the detrimental effects of a long storage period may be practically ameliorated by either storage in the SEU position or by an increased turning frequency during subsequent incubation.