Modern poultry farming relies heavily on machine incubation to hatch eggs efficiently and in large quantities. This technology places eggs in a controlled environment and develops without hen involvement, not only replacing traditional hen incubation but also simplifying egg handling, saving time and increasing productivity. However, while egg hatching methods have been perfected over the years, duck eggs present unique challenges due to their larger size and weight. Current industry practice yields satisfactory incubation rates, but there is still room for improvement. There is huge potential to improve duck survival and quality through better strategies, benefiting farmers and the industry as a whole.
Efforts to improve poultry farming methods have led to a breakthrough in duck egg hatching. Researchers from the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Zhongkai University of Agricultural Engineering, led by Professor Shi Zhendan, developed a new method to optimize the flipping method of duck eggs during incubation. Their findings, published in Poultry Science, show that adjusting the angle at which eggs turn during development can significantly improve hatchability and produce healthier ducklings. Turning the eggs is a key process during incubation, preventing the embryos from sticking to the shell and promoting even distribution of nutrients, ensuring normal embryo development.
Adaptations to traditional egg-turning methods include experimenting with wider angles and dynamic changes in tilt throughout the incubation process. By increasing the tilt angle early in incubation and then decreasing it later, the researchers observed significant benefits. “This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize duck farming,” Professor Shi explained. “Not only does it increase hatchability, it also makes the ducklings stronger, healthier and grow faster.”
The study found that the newer method resulted in much lower losses than traditional practices during the final stages of embryo development – a critical period when the embryo is most vulnerable. This improvement translates into significantly higher hatchability, with the ducklings being stronger and heavier than those hatched using conventional techniques. These results were associated with improved development of the chorioallantoic membrane, a thin structure inside the egg that supports the embryo through the exchange of oxygen and nutrients.
This research breakthrough also reveals potential biological factors that could help improve outcomes. The scientists found that the new turning method enhanced the activity of certain genes responsible for growth and development. These include genes involved in absorbing nutrients and promoting healthy growth, such as the growth hormone receptor gene, which plays a role in regulating the body’s ability to grow and repair tissue, and the insulin-like growth factor gene, which supports cell growth and survival. “Our study highlights how simple changes during incubation can have profound effects on biological processes that drive healthy embryonic development,” Professor Shi said.
This innovative technology is a game changer for the poultry industry. By providing a simple and scalable solution, it not only increases hatchery efficiency but also prioritizes animal health and well-being. These results pave the way for future research to refine these methods and potentially apply them to other types of poultry, creating knock-on effects across the agricultural sector.
Journal reference
Chen Fei, Zhu Bo, Guo Bo, Dai Ze, Liu Jian, Ying Sheng, Huang Yan, Shi Ze. Poultry Science, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103937
About the author
Dr. Shi Zhendan A senior researcher at the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, he is famous for pioneering off-season breeding of geese, achieving year-round production and increasing farmers’ profits. After earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Nanjing Agricultural University, he studied reproductive physiology at the University of Lincoln in New Zealand, focusing on thyroid hormone regulation of seasonal reproduction. In 1992, he returned to China and joined South China Agricultural University. He improved the reproduction rate of geese through a lighting control scheme and won the first prize of the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Award. In 2011, he was transferred to JAAS and further developed the off-season breeding technology of northern geese. In 2019, he won the second prize from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He also increased duck production by optimizing the egg-turning angle during incubation, a method that will be adopted nationwide in 2023. Fertility, and earned him the Pencis International Research Award for Best Researcher.
Dr. Guo Binbin In 2019, as a postdoctoral fellow, I studied under Professor Shi Zhendan to study how to improve the hatchability of large goose eggs. She observed that expanding the egg’s rotation angle during incubation not only improves embryonic development and hatchability, but also increases post-hatching growth rates. She also found that turning eggs at a larger angle also increased gene expression and growth axis hormone secretion. This laid the foundation for the team to develop high-efficiency goose and duck egg incubation technology.
Dr. Chen FangExperts from the Institute of Animal Science of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences participated in the development of technology that changes the angle of egg turning, further improving the hatchability of duck embryos by reducing embryonic death in the final stage before hatching.
