Effects of in ovo electrolyte feeding and delayed placement on post-hatch chick quality, yolk sac utilization, and gut organ weight in neonatal broiler chicks

This study investigated the effects of in ovo electrolyte feeding and delayed placement on chick quality, yolk sac utilization, and gut organ weight in broiler chicks. It followed a 3×3 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design with the two factors being in ovo treatment (non-injected [NI], 0.5mL normal saline [NS], and 0.5mL oral rehydration solution [ORS]) and delayed placement (0, 24, and 48 hours). 420 fertile eggs from Arbor Acres breeders were randomly distributed into the in ovo treatment groups on incubation day 18. On day 21, 50 chicks per treatment were held and fasted for 48 hours. 14 chicks per treatment were evaluated, eviscerated, and organs weighed. Chick length (CL), relative yolk-free body mass (RYFBM), and Tona scores (TS) were higher (p < 0.05) in the ORS and NS groups than in NI. With increasing delayed placement, chick weight, RYFBM, TS, and relative yolk sac weight decreased (p < 0.05) while CL and relative gizzard and intestine weight increased (p < 0.05). The NI and ORS groups showed the highest relative yolk sac (9.88%) and gizzard (7.85%) weights, respectively. It was concluded that IOEF reduced hatch rate but improved broiler chicks’ quality, yolk utilization, and gut organ weight.