Effects of Eggs Turning during Holding Period and Hatched in Darkness or Lighting Conditions of Storage on Hatching and Productive Performance of Broiler Chicks
Six hundred Ross-308 eggs were used and hatched at the same hatchery during 09/03- 01/04/2012; eggs were hatched in hatching machines at (37.4 C with 70- 75% relative humidity), at the beginning of the second week, chicks were distributed randomly into four treatment groups included 3 replicates per treatment and 20 chicks/replicate. The experiment was conducted in the poultry farm of the Directorate of Agricultural Farms in Faculty of Agricultural Sciences / University of Sulaimani in Bakrajo. the experiment duration was from 02/03/2012 to 12/05/2012 included broiler eggs stored, turned during holding period and hatched in darkness or lighting conditions storage, hatching and rearing periods. The aim of the experiments was to assess the effect of on post-hatch productive performance and carcass quality of broilers hatched from eggs purchased from local commercial hatchery in Sulaimani, and to investigate the embryo development, hatch and post hatch performance. Keywords - Turning, Holding Period, Hatching, Productive Performance, Broiler Chicks.