Effects of Egg Storage Material and Storage Period on Hatchability in Japanese Quail

The present study aimed to determine the effects of different storage materials and storage period on some hatchability traits of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) eggs. A total of 32 male and 102 female quail (twelve weeks of ages) were housed in multiple-bird cages. Eggs laid were divided into three groups with respect to the period of storage (I = 1, 2 and 3 days, II = 6, 7 and 8 days, III = 12, 13 and 14 days) prior to incubation. A total of 816 eggs was stored in 3 different storage environments during each storage period (B = no use of any storage material, P = use of perlite, H = use of hay) and kept in environmental conditions, where the temperature was 21°C and relative humidity was 75%, prior to incubation. Statistical analyses were performed after the exclusion of values pertaining to non-fertile eggs (190 eggs) from the data set. The fertility rate of the eggs in the experiment was 76.7%. In the present study, the influence of storage material and different storage periods on egg weight loss were found to be statistically significant (p<0.01). Upon the comparison of hatchability of fertile eggs values, the influence of storage material was determined to be significant (p<0.05), and the influence of storage period was demonstrated to be significant (p<0.01). The storage materials used were determined not to have any influence on early and late embryonic death rates. Perlite was concluded to be safe for use in the storage of hatching eggs. The extension of the storage period (more than 8 days) resulted in decreased hatchability values of fertile eggs in each group. (