Effect of CO2 and broiler breeder age on embryonic development

• Grant number: 11/24058-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: March 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Macari
• Grantee: Marcos Macari
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This study aims to assess the effect of CO2 and broiler breeder age on embryonic development. 6.000 fertile eggs will be incubated according an at random experimental design in 2 x 3 factorial schedule, i.e, two breeders ages (40 and 59 wk) and 3 CO2 concentrations in the incubator (control, 10.000 ppm and 14.000 ppm) from the D1 to D10 (240 h of incubation). After that period the embryos will return to the normal incubation conditions until hatching. It will assessed: 1.eggs physical characteristics (porosity, eggshell thickness, egg weight loss, specific gravity and eggshell condutance); 2. incubation parameters (egg weight, total incubation period, hatchability,internal and external pipping, hatchability interval; 3. chicks quality; 4. embryo and neonate blood parameters (PO2, PCO2, MVC, RBC number, pH, HCO3-. After hatching, 600 chicks will be reared in at random experimental design , with 6 treatments, 5 repetitions of 20 birds each. The birds will kept in a climatic room, at thermoneutrality, from 1-42 days of age. Feed intake, feed conversion, weight gain and viability will be measured. The statistical analysis will be done by SAS GLM program and means will be compared by Tukey's test (P<0.05). (AU)