How to Select Breeding Eggs? Methods and Tips for Choosing High-Quality Breeding Eggs

The quality of breeding eggs is affected by many factors such as the quality of the breeding poultry and the storage conditions of the breeding eggs. The quality of breeding eggs has a great influence on the hatchability rate, and also has a considerable influence on the survival rate of chicks and adult poultry. Therefore, strict selection must be carried out before breeding eggs are placed in the incubator.

Ensure the quality of the breeding poultry

In order to provide high-quality breeding eggs, it is necessary to ensure that the breeding poultry has stable genetic performance, excellent production performance, relatively high reproductive capacity, good feeding and management, no diseases transmitted through eggs, and is healthy and highly productive.

Ensure the breeding eggs are fresh

The fresher the breeding eggs, the better. The longer they are stored, the lower the hatchability rate of the breeding eggs. Generally, breeding eggs within 7 days are best, and the maximum must not exceed 15 days. Breeding eggs must not be washed with water. After eggs are washed with water, the gelatinous layer on the surface falls off, microorganisms easily invade the interior and cause spoilage, and the moisture inside the egg also evaporates easily.

Select the appearance of the breeding eggs

Egg shape: those close to an oval shape have the best incubation results. The egg shape index (the ratio between the longitudinal diameter and the short diameter) is required to be between 1.30 and 1.35. Eggshell: the eggshell of breeding eggs is required to be dense, uniform, and moderate in thickness. If it is too thin, it is not only easy to break, but the moisture inside the egg also evaporates quickly and bacteria easily penetrate. If it is too thick, the moisture inside the egg evaporates slowly during incubation, making it difficult for the chicks to hatch. Different breeds have different eggshell colors. For eggs of the same breed, the eggshell color should be consistent and conform to the characteristics of that breed. Egg weight: the size of breeding eggs should be moderate. The closer they are to uniform, the higher the qualification rate. Eggs that are too large or too small are not suitable as breeding eggs. If the egg is too large, the incubation time is long and the hatchability rate is low. If it is too small, the incubation time is short and the hatched chicks are weak and small. Cleanliness: the surface of breeding eggs should be clean and should not have feces or other dirt. Dirty eggs, because the pores are blocked, hinder gas exchange, affect normal embryonic development, and also contaminate other normal eggs, increasing dead embryos and rotten eggs. For some lightly contaminated breeding eggs, they should be wiped clean and disinfected in time.

Internal quality testing

Internal quality testing of breeding eggs can use the egg candling method, that is, inspection by shining light. Using the egg candling method, the eggshell, air cell, yolk, blood spots, and so on can be observed. Any eggs with adhering shell membrane, broken yolk, high yolk fluidity, bubbles inside the egg, an off-center air cell, a moving air cell, an air cell in the middle or at the small end, thin-shelled eggs, soft-shelled eggs, thick-shelled eggs, and so on are not suitable for incubation.