Effects of Presence of a Blastoderm on Albumen Height and pH of Broiler Hatching Eggs

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether the presence of a blastoderm could affect albumen liquefaction of broiler hatching eggs prior to setting and during the initial stages of incubation. Eggs were stored for 0 to 3 d at 18 C and 75% RH. Albumen height and pH were measured after 0 or 2 h of incubation. In both experiments, albumen height was significantly lower in fertilized eggs compared with unfertilized eggs. The interaction of fertility with incubation time for albumen height in Experiment 1 was not significant (P < or = 0.10). In Experiment 1, albumen pH was significantly higher for fertilized eggs compared with unfertilized eggs (P < or = 0.01); the difference was similar but not significant in Experiment 2. The results suggest that the embryo contributes to albumen liquefaction and that ammonia production by the embryo may account for the effect.