J. Appl. Poult. Res.
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J APPL POULT RES 2006. 15:538-543
© 2006 Poultry Science Association
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Research Reports

Influence of Water Provision to Chicks Before Placement and Effects on Performance and Incidence of Unabsorbed Yolk Sacs1

B. D. Fairchild*,2, J. K. Northcutt{dagger}, J. M. Mauldin*, R. J. Buhr{ddagger}, L. J. Richardson{ddagger} and N. A. Cox{ddagger}

* Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens 30602; and {dagger} Poultry Processing and {ddagger} Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Units, USDA-ARS, Athens, GA 30604

2 Corresponding author: email brianf{at}uga.edu


   SUMMARY
TOP
 SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
A study was conducted to determine the effect of water provision to chicks before placement on performance and the incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs. To accomplish this, a device was used that was designed to deliver water to chicks in chick baskets during holding at the hatchery and transportation to the growout house. Commercial chicks were obtained from the hatchery and held for either 24 or 48 h with or without access to water before placement. Chicks were then distributed into floor pens with ad libitum access to feed and water. At 6 wk of age, broilers were processed, and intestines were evaluated for presence or absence of an unabsorbed yolk sac and intestinal breaking strength. Body weight at placement was 2 to 6 g greater for chicks given access to water; however, this difference was not observed at any other time during the growout. Water provision during holding had no affect on feed consumption, mortality, or the birds’ ability to completely absorb the yolk sac during the 6 wk growout. Incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs in 6 wk old birds ranged from 15 to 28%. Moreover, presence or absence of an unabsorbed yolk sac had no effect on intestinal breaking strength. Data from the present study demonstrates that providing chicks with water before placement does not influence performance, intestinal breaking strength, or the incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs.

Key Words: broiler • water • unabsorbed yolk • chick


   DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
The potential performance of a broiler flock depends upon the quality of chicks at placement [1, 2]. Broiler chick quality is influenced by several factors, including breeder flock age, egg storage, incubation conditions, and chick holding environment (temperature and duration) after hatch [2]. In general, the time between hatching and placement can range from 2 to 12 h; however, chicks are frequently transported to other states or countries, and it may take up to 72 h to place them. Extended periods of time (greater than 12 h) between hatching and when the chicks have access to feed and water can have negative impacts on broiler performance [3, 4]. Some hatcheries provide nutrient sources for the chicks to consume before arrival on the farm, but the practice of providing water is not common in the United States. As an alternative, a device was developed to provide water to chicks through a modified nipple drinker system when the chicks are still in the transport baskets. This Aqua Chick Tray would prevent chick dehydration during holding and transportation and would still allow trays to be stacked in the traditional manner for transport.

Although it is not frequently thought of this way, water is a nutrient and is considered to be a crucial nutrient for animals [5]. Birds can go without feed for several days, but water deprivation can be detrimental to health in a short period [6]. Chicks held in the hatcher for 48 h after hatching had lower BW when compared with chicks removed after hatching [7]. Dehydration was assumed to be the main cause; however, yolk utilization was not measured and may have been a factor in the lower BW. Dehydration has always been speculated as a problem for newly hatched chicks during long periods of transport such as among poultry complexes, states, and international shipments. During transport, chicks may be exposed to suboptimal environmental conditions, which, when coupled with no access to feed or water, can result in increased early chick mortality [8]. Conversely, livability was not improved when chicks were provided water during 72 h of holding and transportation; however, if water and feed or a nutrient supplement were provided, chicks not only had a reduced mortality during the 72-h period, but they also had improved 3-d BW gains [3, 9].

Previous research has shown that incubation of hatching eggs at low RH will reduce chick BW [10], and smaller chicks from young hens are more prone to dehydration posthatch [7, 11, 12, 13, 14]. Chicks that remain in the hatcher for long periods of time have lower BW [10, 15, 16]. Retained yolk sacs have been observed in market-aged commercial broilers during processing, but the frequency and size may fluctuate [17]. It has also been suggested that retained yolk sacs in broilers might be a source of carcass fecal contamination during processing if they are cut or torn [18]. Furthermore, the yolk sac might be a route of vertical transmission of bacteria from hen to chick, and this has been evaluated in a separate study [18]. The egg yolk serves as a nutrient source throughout embryonic development. Around 18 d of incubation, the yolk sac is internalized into the abdominal cavity and used as a nutrient and energy source by the hatched chick. The internalized yolk sac is typically absorbed completely by 14 d after hatching [19]. However, in some cases, the chicks do not absorb all of the remaining yolk sac, and some remnants persist throughout the birds’ lives [17]. One study suggested that the availability of feed and water soon after hatch can retard and possibly prevent complete absorption of the remaining yolk sac [20]. However, other studies have indicated that the yolk sac utilization rate is increased when feed and water are available [21, 22, 23, 24].

The objectives of the current study were as follows: 1) to evaluate providing water (via the Aqua Chick Tray [25]) to chicks during the period between hatching and placement in the broiler house and its subsequent impact on broiler performance and 2) to determine if early water deprivation could be a factor in unabsorbed yolk sacs in market-aged broilers.


   MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
Experiment 1
On the day of hatch, 400 Cobb x Cobb byproduct males [26] were obtained from a commercial hatchery and transported to the University of Georgia Poultry Research Center. During transportation and holding, chicks remained in chick transport boxes with 100 chicks per box. The trip from the hatchery took approximately 90 min, and upon arrival chicks were weighed and held in a room at 94°F for 24 h. One group of chicks received water during the holding period, which was provided by the Aqua Chick Tray [25]. The other group of chicks (control) did not receive any water during the holding period. At the end of the 24-h holding period, water consumption was determined, and chicks were weighed before placement in floor pens (25 chicks per pen and 8 pens per treatment). Feed and water were provided ad libitum, and the room environment was managed according to the breeder’s guidelines, with the exception of lighting. Light was provided 24 h per day during the first week and 23 h per day during wk 2 through 6. Pen chick weights and feed consumption were collected on a weekly basis, whereas mortality was monitored daily.

All birds were taken off of feed and water 12 and 6 h, respectively, before processing. On day fourty, 100 birds from each treatment were weighed and processed using simulated commercial conditions (bleeding for 60 s, scalding at 132°F for 90 s, and defeathering for 30 s). New York dressed carcasses were then opened, and the presence of an unabsorbed yolk was determined. Intestinal breaking strength was determined on a minimum of 24 birds per treatment to determine whether differences existed due to the presence or absence of a yolk sac. Intestinal breaking strength between the jejunum and ileum was determined using the protocol described by Northcutt et al. [27], using an Instron Universal Testing Machine (model 5500) [28] with a 500-kg load cell and a crosshead speed of 300 mm/min. There are differences in intestinal integrity between male and female broilers, and, as a result, only males were used in the current study [27]. Weights of unabsorbed yolks were recorded from the broiler intestine used to determine breaking strength.

Experiment 2
All procedures were the same as Experiment 1, with the following exceptions. On the day of hatch, 600 Cobb x Cobb [26] byproduct males were obtained from a commercial hatchery. During the holding period, 100 chicks were placed in baskets and held for either 24 or 48 h. One treatment group during each holding time treatment received water via the Aqua Chick Tray [25], and the control group received no water. At 24 and 48 h after hatching, chicks were weighed and 25 chicks placed into each floor pen with 6 pens per treatment. On d 42, the birds were processed as described in the previous experiment. Intestinal breaking strength was determined on a minimum of 50 birds per treatment using the same procedures described in Experiment 1. All procedures utilized within this study were approved by the University of Georgia Committee on Animal Care and Use.

Statistical Analysis
Data from Experiments 1 and 2 were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS [29]. The data in Experiment 1 were analyzed using a 1-way ANOVA, with the main effect being treatment of water or control. The data from Experiment 2 were arranged into a factorial of 2 holding periods (24 or 48 h) x 2 water treatments (water or no water). Means determined to differ significantly (P ≤ 0.05) were separated using the least squares means procedure. Values of P < 0.1 are reported in the tables, and all others are reported as nonsignificant. All possible interactions were tested. The incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs was analyzed using a {chi}2 analysis [29].


   RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
In the present study, chicks were able to successfully drink water from the Aqua Chick Tray [25], with 8 to 10 mL of water per chick consumed during the 24-h holding period. Birds held for 48 h consumed 14 mL of water per chick. Chicks provided access to water during holding weighed significantly more (2 to 3 g) than control chicks before placement after 24 and 48 h of holding. However, the effect on BW was transient, and by 7 d of age, no differences were observed (Tables 1Go and 2Go).


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  		Table 1. Broiler BW, feed intake, and gain:feed (G:F) for chicks provided and not provided water 24 h before placement, Experiment 1
 

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  		Table 2. Broiler BW, feed intake, and gain:feed (G:F) for chicks provided and not provided water for 24 and 48 h before placement, Experiment 2
 
In Experiment 2, birds held for 48 h between hatching and placement had lower BW when compared with birds held for 24 h, but no differences in BW were observed after 14 d of age (Table 2Go). The reductions in BW agree with studies that held chicks in the hatcher for 48 h [30]. Moreover, the transient effect of water on BW agrees with the conclusions of Noy and Sklan [31], who compared providing nutrients or nothing immediately after hatching in regard to efficiency in getting chicks and poults off to a good start. In the current study, Experiment 1 feed consumption and gain per feed did not differ between the treatments at any week during the growout period (Table 1Go). Mortality was less than 1% and did not differ significantly between the treatments.

Two different categories of unabsorbed yolk sacs (attached or nonattached) were identified. The percentage of unabsorbed yolk sacs ranged from 14 to 19% in Experiment 1 and 18 to 29% in Experiment 2, but no significant differences in the incidence due to treatment were observed (Table 3Go). The incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs has been documented in other birds, which include broiler breeder roosters (27%), Leghorn hens (12%), and the 1957 Athens Random Bred Control (23 to 25%) [17]. No differences were noted in the current study between attached or unattached yolk sacs (data not shown); however, this has been examined in another study, and the incidence of each varies depending on the chicken strain that is examined [17]. Although the yolk sac absorption rate was not measured in the current study, the incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs was not affected by the provision of water or by fasting chicks for 48 h (Table 3Go). Although yolk composition was not analyzed in the current study, the presence of both Campylobacter and Salmonella has been observed in the unabsorbed yolks of chicks inoculated with these bacteria on the day of hatch [18].


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  		Table 3. Incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs in broilers at 6 wk of age
 
One of the reasons for the interest in attached unabsorbed yolk sacs was the possibility of detrimental effects on intestinal integrity. Broiler intestines that are cut or torn during evisceration may leak contents onto carcasses, contaminate the carcass surface [32, 33, 34, 35, 36], and may result in the processing plant’s failure to meet the zero tolerance fecal contamination prechill policy in the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System Final Rule [37]. In the present study, intestinal breaking strength was measured to determine if the presence of unabsorbed yolk sacs affected intestinal integrity. Force required to rupture broiler intestines ranged from 333 to 425 g, and there was no difference in intestinal breaking strength due to chick water provision before placement (Table 4Go). The current hypothesis was that the presence of an attached yolk sac weakens the intestine and thus less force would be required to tear it. Previous research reported intestinal breaking strength of broiler breeders in the range of 600 to 800 g, with a high dependency on gender (20 to 26% greater load for intestines of male birds) [27, 38]. In the current study, no differences were noted between birds with or without an attached unabsorbed yolk in the force required to rupture the intestine. However, it is possible that the evisceration equipment may snag the unabsorbed yolk itself, resulting in a rupture of the yolk or a tear in the intestine. However, the tear will not result from differences in intestinal integrity due to the presence or absence of an unabsorbed yolk. The current study used only males to reduce variation due to gender; however, there may be unknown gender interactions due to water provision or unabsorbed yolk that could be investigated in future studies.


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  		Table 4. Intestinal strength1 in broilers at 6 wk of age
 

   CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
REFERENCES AND NOTES
 
  1. Providing chicks with water during holding before placement increases placement weight but does not influence broiler performance after the first 2 wk of growout.
  2. Water provision to chicks before placement had no effect on incidence of unabsorbed yolk sacs in market-age broilers.
  3. Intestinal integrity was not significantly different between intestines with or without an unabsorbed yolk sac and therefore would not have a higher incidence of tearing during evisceration; however, the yolk sac itself may tear but the incidence of this unknown.


   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
We thank M. B. Cole, M. D. Darby, J. R. Barnett, L. N. Bartenfeld, D. V. Bourassa, and F. G. Murray for sample and data collection.


   FOOTNOTES
 
1 The use of trade names in this publication does not imply endorsement by the University of Georgia of the products mentioned nor criticism of similar products not mentioned. Back


   REFERENCES AND NOTES
TOP
 SUMMARY
 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
 REFERENCES AND NOTES
 

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