Description

“The one thing that really struck me about this book was the calibre of the editorial team and the international range and expertise of the contributing editors and authors. With over 550 pages this book is well worth its place on the bookshelf of anyone who is interested in poultry breeding and genomics.” (International Hatchery Practice)

It is widely recognised that developments in the chick embryo have a profound effect on hatchability and the subsequent health and productive capacity of poultry. With a stronger focus on welfare, prevention of disease and more sustainable poultry production, understanding these early stages has never been more crucial.

Embryo development and hatchery practice in poultry production addresses the key stages and factors in embryo development in poultry to optimise hatchability and chick health. The book reviews the role of parental and environmental factors on embryo development and skeletal growth.

The book also reviews the effects of incubation on chick health and development, including factors such as temperature, light exposure and humidity, as well as best practice in managing the hatching stage.

Through focussed and authoritative discussions, the book details best practices for managing a hatchery environment to ensure that chick welfare, health and productive capacity are optimized.

Key features

• Provides a comprehensive review of the key stages in embryo development, as well as the factors which affect successful development (e.g. temperature and humidity)
• Reviews the recent advances in incubator technologies and its effect on chick health and development
• Addresses the key issues in poultry hatchery environments, focussing on issues related to feed/water deprivation and transportation of chicks to farms

Table of contents

View/buy chapters

Part 1 Parental influences and embryo development

• 1. Genetic selection to improve reproductive traits in chickens: David Cavero and Maurice Raccoursier, H&N International, Germany;
• 2. Managing breeder poultry flocks to optimise hatchability and chick health: R. A. van Emous, Wageningen Livestock Research, The Netherlands;
• 3. Advances in understanding the development of defences against pathogens in the chicken egg: Maureen M. Bain, University of Glasgow, UK;
• 4. Assessing poultry semen quality: Murray R. Bakst, formerly USDA-ARS, USA;
• 5. Key stages of embryo development in poultry: Marleen Boerjan, formerly R&D Royal PasReform, The Netherlands;
• 6. Chicken egg storage and transport: Dinah Nicholson, Aviagen Ltd, UK;
• 7. In ovo sexing in poultry chicks: Anke Förster, Agri Advanced Technologies GmbH, Germany; and Thomas Bartels, Institute of Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry, Germany;
• 8. In ovo vaccination of chicken eggs: Christopher J. Williams, Consultant, USA;

Part 2 Incubation

• 9. Incubator design for poultry eggs: principles and techniques: Ron Meijerhof, Poultry Performance Plus, The Netherlands;
• 10. Understanding the effects of incubator temperature on embryo and post-hatch chick development: R. Michael Hulet, Penn State University, USA; and Michael J. Wineland, North Carolina State University, USA;
• 11. Understanding the effects of light on embryo and post-hatch chick development: Israel Rozenboim, Liron Dishon, Natalie Avital-Cohen and Joanna Bartman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; and Ronen Shviki, BeyondEdge Inc, USA;
• 12. Understanding the effects of humidity/air composition on embryo and post-hatch chick development: E. David Peebles, Mississippi State University, USA;
• 13. The role of egg turning in embryo development: Okan Elibol, Ankara University, Turkey;
• 14. Poultry embryo development and skeletal growth: Edgar Orlando Oviedo-Rondón, North Carolina State University, USA;

Part 3 Managing the hatching stage

• 15. Managing the poultry hatcher environment: Roos Molenaar and Henry van den Brand, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands;
• 16. Alternative hatching systems for broilers: Henry van den Brand, Bas Kemp and Roos Molenaar, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands;
• 17. Key issues in transportation of broiler and layer chicks: M. A. Mitchell, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), UK;