Broiler Chicks Hatched From Egg Weight Extremes and Diverse Breeder Strains

Events following the hatching of chicks have lately gained increased interest by the poultry industry. Research evaluating composition of eggs and yolk sacs of chicks from different sources and their effect on early chick development is scarce. In this research broiler hatching eggs were obtained from breeder flocks of four diverse strains, then categorized as “heavy” or “light” to represent the top and bottom one-third weights from each population. Heavy eggs typically had a greater proportion of albumen and less yolk than small eggs., and these differences were similarly expressed among strains. Influence of the egg source on hatched chicks differed with the carcass and yolk sac. Egg weight and strain affected chick weight but not its composition, whereas the yolk sac was consistent in proportion to the chick but varied in composition. Overall differences in weight, proximate analysis, amino acid, and mineral compositions of eggs and chicks appear to be small, and possible nutrient accommodation in the first feed to improve performance seems unnecessary.