Incubation Factors Affecting Hatchability of Poultry Eggs

SURVEYS conducted by North (1944) and at the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station (unpublished) have indicated that hatchability of chicken and turkey eggs tends to decrease with increase in altitude, especially over 4,000 feet. This places elements of hazard and competitive disadvantage in hatchery operations at high altitudes not present in operations at lower altitudes. Preliminary experiments performed from 1937 to 1942 at this Station showed that this effect could not be overcome by enrichment of the rations of the parent stock. No significant differences in hatchability of turkey eggs were found in repeated comparisons of breeder management practices, such as confinement versus range and stimulation of early egg production by artificial lighting. Exchange of turkey hatching eggs with the Kansas and South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Stations provided data showing that the inferior hatchability here at the Colorado Station might be associated with the altitude (5,000 feet), since hatchability of eggs …