EFFECTIVENESS OF SEALING THE EGGSHELL OF CRACKED ON HATCHABILITY AND CHICK QUALITY IN BROILER CHICKENS

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of sealing eggshell cracks by mixing eggshell powder with Albumin on hatchability parameters and chick quality.1350 eggs were used from a 34-week-old flock of ROSS 308 broiler chickens and were distributed randomly into 3 experimental groups. The first group contained 450 intact eggs (Negative control), the second group contained 450 cracked eggs (Positive control), and the third group contained 450 cracked and treated eggs. The lowest egg weight percentage at day 18 (g) and the highest egg weight loss percentage and embryonic mortality were in the untreated cracked egg groups compared to other groups. Furthermore, the treated cracked group showed a significant improvement in egg weight percentage on day 18 (g) and egg weight loss percentage and lowest embryonic mortality compared to the untreated cracked group. Moreover, the chick's quality in the cracked treated group was improved compared to the untreated cracked group. Conclusions: results of the present study indicate that a mixture of eggshell powder and Albumin can be used to close capillary cracks to support embryo survival and chick quality