Sanitization at different times after floor egg collection for hatchability, microbiological quality, and performance of broilers

In this study, the effects of egg type and sanitization time on eggshell and yolk sac microbiological quality, hatchability, and broiler performance at 7 and 35 d of age were evaluated. A total of 3,440 eggs from a commercial flock Cobb500 were randomly assigned in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme, separated by the type of egg (clean nest or floor) and eggs sanitization at 30 or 120 min after collection, totaling 4 treatments. After hatching, 312 male chicks were randomly selected and distributed according to treatment. Egg type and timing of eggshell sanitization did not influence the microbiological quality of the eggshell surfaces or hatchability (P > 0.05). The number of contaminated unhatched eggs was higher in the floor eggs group (P ≤ 0.05). There were no interactions between the studied factors or individual effects on feed intake, body weight gain, or feed conversion ratio (P > 0.05) in birds at 7 and 35 d of age. Floor eggs sanitized after 120 min had reduced productive factor compared to birds from clean nest eggs. It was concluded that the incubation of floor eggs sanitized 30 or 120 min after collection did not influence hatching results. However, a delay in the sanitization of floor eggs can increase the contamination of the chick yolk sac and consequently reduce the viability of broilers at 35 d. Floor eggs should therefore be sanitized 30 min than 120 min after collection.