The effects of flock age, storage temperature and period on embryonic development and some egg quality parameters

This study was conducted to determine the effects of different storage temperature and duration applied to hatching eggs of different flock ages on embryo stage and some egg quality paramaters. In the first experiment, the hatching eggs from young-middle-aged flocks were held under 70% relative humidity at 21-24°C. The eggs from young-middle-old aged flocks at 15-18°C for 3, 7 and 14 days stored in the laboratuvary cabinet in the second experiment. The embryo stages of the 31- and 46-week-old eggs used in the first experiment with a storage temperature of 21-24°C were found to be EGK 9.6 and 10.2 at initial, respectively (P<0.05). Embryo stage of fresh eggs obtained from flocks at 32, 42 and 60-wks of age used with a storage temperature of 15-18°C were determined to be EGK 9.9, 10.5 and 10.6, respectively (P<0.05). The highest embryo stage average was observed in eggs (15.3) from the 46-wk-old flock stored for 14 days at 24°C, and the lowest in the eggs (9.9) observed from the 32-wk-old flock. In this study, there were differences in the quality characteristics of egg quality such as pH, albumen height, haugh unit, yolk index, as well as the calculated values such as weight loss, yolk ratio, and albumin ratio, according to temperature and storage time.