Age of Chicken Breeder and Ultrastructure of Hatching Eggshell: SEM and Hatching eggs

This book sheds light on the impact of breeder ages on eggshell ultrastructural, and its reflection on the chicks' viability to incorporate in selection programs. Some measurements that included eggshell measurements, the internal egg quality, chemical analysis of eggshell (% Ca, P), fertility determination, air cell volume, embryo weight, egg weight loss during incubation and total pores per egg was carried out before and during incubation. While; hatchability determination and number & weight of chicks were determined after hatching. At 0, 18th days of incubation and after hatching, 48 samples of eggshell were randomly taken from Hy-Line Brown and W-36 layer breeder flocks at early and late laying stage within each of breeder strain (16 hatching eggs were taken before hatching (zero time) & 16 hatching eggs were taken in 18th days of incubation and 16 each in after hatching "for females only") to investigate ultra-structural variations.