INTERVIEW FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2024 55 cal part is when the embryo dies at a very early stage and we could wrongly confuse a very early dead embryo with an infertile egg. We tend to blame the fertility issues on the males -assuming that egg production is the main female indicator. However, this is not always the case. Why has hatchability become a concern for the broiler breeding industry?What is the difference between the highest hatchability that can be achieved in theory and the results achieved in practice? Hatchability in practical terms represents the final number of chicks that we have available to grow out and therefore affects all integration performance. However, we need to look at the egg production, fertility, and hatchability from fertile to see where the problem is: at the farm (female and/or male birds) or at the hatchery (disinfection, egg storage, ventilation, temperature etc). What are the most important potential factors affecting hatchability and fertility? For example, can nutrition, stress and welfare be considered as important factors? Key factors in hatchability from fertile eggs are eggshell and egg quality (structure and cleanliness), egg disinfection, and egg handling and storage, incubation conditions (temperature, turning, humidity, ventilation), and, of course, disease. In fertility, the key factors are male nutrition and management. Males may be fertile, but they need to be able to mate with the female. Male overweight, size, or even female feathering issues may decrease mating success. However, we need to keep in mind that the first factor affecting the total number of hatch chicks is the total number of eggs per housed hen. How can hatchability be improved? Is it possible to improve hatchability positively with adjustments in the ration (diet), or to what extent can it be improved? Although for hatchability we want to focus on the hatchery performance we need to first focus on the breeder flock (management and nutrition). To increase the number of chicks hatched good egg production is crucial. Secondly, good eggshell quality is critical. After all, a broken egg cannot be placed in the setter. Then, flock management is necessary to avoid floor eggs, and improve mating behaviour. This is also where male reproductive performance comes into play. We have seen some data suggesting the use of vitamins to improve performance. However, the results are confounded with breeder hen and male feed allocation. While we observed significant effects in old breeders, the effects were not significant at early or mid-age. Similarly, the effects were only significant in eggs in long-term storage (14 days). Research has also shown that trace minerals can make a difference in egg quality and breeder performance. We saw improved egg production (3.6%)
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