Relationship between the weight of hatching eggs and subsequent early performance of broiler chicks

Abstract

1. The effect of egg weight on the subsequent performance of individual growing chicks was studied. Eggs from commercial broiler breeder hens were collected at 52, 55 and 57 weeks of age and incubated. The chicks were reared for 18 d.

2. Egg weight and hatched chick weight were not affected by the age of the hens during the 52 to 57‐week period, but there was a close correlation between egg weight and hatching weight, irrespective of the age of the hens (r=0.89). Chick:egg weight ratio at hatching was about 0.71 and independent of hen age. One d after hatching, chick weights had decreased by about 1.5 g.

3. The initial high correlation between egg weight and chick weight decreased markedly during post‐hatching growth, becoming insignificant 5 d after hatching. At 18 d of age, however, chicks from eggs of older hens tended to be heavier than those from younger birds. The greater 18‐d weights appeared to be associated more with higher food intake during that period, than with greater egg weight.

4. It was concluded that, in individual broiler chicks, the advantage of the initially higher weight attributable to a larger egg diminishes rapidly after hatching, and the main factor affecting final body weight is food intake.