Effects of storage temperature and length of the storage period on hatchability and performance of red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) eggs

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate, in red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) eggs, the effects of 7- and 42-d storage periods with different storage temperatures (15, 12, and 9°C) on egg weight loss, hatchability, chick weight at hatch, incubation length, and development stage at embryonic mortality. A total of 420 red-legged partridge eggs were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 levels of storage length and 3 levels of storage temperature, resulting in 6 treatments consisting of 10 replications of 7 eggs each. We found that the storage length significantly reduced hatchability of the fertile eggs (P = 0.001), increasing late embryonic mortality (P = 0.001). Storage temperature did not influence on the embryonic mortality at any stage (P > 0.05). Egg weight loss during storage increased with the storage length (P < 0.001), storage temperature (P < 0.001), and their interaction (P < 0.001). Incubation length increased with the storage length (P < 0.001); however, it was not influenced by the storage temperature (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, incubation period decreased with the storage temperature for 7-d storage, and increased with the storage temperature for 42-d storage (P = 0.005). It can be concluded that in this study red-legged partridge eggs stored well with little deterioration up to 42 d at 9 and 12°C and 80% RH, in contrast to the lesser durability of eggs described in the literature for other poultry species. In case of 7-d storage periods, hatchability of A. rufa fertile eggs is higher when they are stored at 15°C. These findings are useful to address specific demands of game farms that require fertile eggs for hatching whose shelf-life should be long enough to maintain hatchability until further incubation. And, due to the marked reproductive seasonality of red-legged partridge, long-term storage of hatching eggs could permit the distribution of batches of chicks throughout the year.