Royal Pas Reform

Defining chick
quality
Contents

• Individual chick quality incl. scoring method

• Chick Yield
• Yolk free body mass
• Batch quality
Royal Pas Reform

Mission
Smart hatchery solutions for superior chicks

Our mission is to support our customers with smart, integrated,

sustainable hatchery solutions that consistently achieve the highest
percentage hatch of fertiles and deliver uniform, robust day old chicks
Good hatchery results

Good hatchery results

is (y)our goal!
But what is good?
– High hatchability

– Good chick quality

– Satisfied customers

– Low cost price

Chick quality

What is a good quality d.o.c.?

1. Individual quality
a. …
b. …

2. Batch quality
a. …
b. …
Chick quality

Good chick quality

Good chick quality requires:

1. Good quality hatching eggs
2. Optimal and uniform incubation conditions
3. Good management based on knowledge and practical
experience

… to deal with natural variation

in egg quality and embryo development
Royal Pas Reform
‘Individual’ chick quality
 Chick quality

Aspects of individual quality

Alert & active No deformities Size
………? (beak, legs)

Bright round eyes

Normal beak, comb
& nostrils

Fluffy ‘yellowish’ down;

Well-closed navel
not wet – no ‘triangles’

Normal amount
of residual yolk
‘Healthy’
‘Comfortable’
‘Uniform’
Hydrated legs; no damage … = batch quality
Chick quality

Aspects of individual quality

Culling of individual chicks:

• Manual take-off
• Chick processing by automatic separator
Chick quality

Aspects of individual quality

Chicks have to endure a lot … a final check

after boxing/before transport?
Chick quality

Aspects of individual quality

How to evaluate or quantify?

• Describing in words (‘subjective’)
• Counting (& grouping) of culls
• Scoring of randomly sample chicks (‘objective’)

Pasgar©score (Tona-score; new concept Royal Pas Reform)

Chick quality

Tona-score
Chick quality

Tona-score

• Level of score related

to its importance
• Max. = 100 points
Chick quality

Pasgar©score
• Easier than Tona-score
• Based on 5 parameters
• Objective (0 or 1)
• Scoring before grading (‘as hatched’)
• Random selection of 30 – 50 chicks
Chick quality

Pasgar©score

Procedure & Recording Form

Chick quality

Pasgar©score: 5 criteria

top quality chick = 10

Chick quality

Pasgar©score: reflex

Poor reflex = minus 1

Chick quality

Pasgar©score: navel

Poor navel = minus 1

Chick quality

Pasgar©score: legs

Red hocks = minus 1

Chick quality

Pasgar©score: beak

Red spot/dirty beak = minus 1

Chick quality

Pasgar©score: belly

Full belly = minus 1

Chick quality

Pasgar©score: example
Chick reflex navel leg beak belly Pasgar©score
1 0 1 0 0 1 8
2 0 0 0 0 0 10
3 0 1 1 1 0 7
4 0 0 0 0 0 10
5 0 1 0 0 0 9
6 0 1 0 0 0 9
7 1 0 0 0 1 8
total 1 4 1 1 2 61

Average Pasgar©score = 61/7 = 8.7

Navel problems in 4 out 7 chicks = 57%
Chick quality

Pasgar©score
Allows to:
• Express the quality in a number
• Highlight the frequency of „problems”
• Suggest the possible reasons
• Plan necessary solutions
• Follow the dynamic changes of the
quality
Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

Be very careful with fast conclusions!!!
• Not everything is backed by science
• Trouble shooting lists blame almost everything (too
high/too low/suboptimal temperature; too much/too little weight loss;
too high/too low CO2; often without indicating when)
• Combine with other observations (empty shells; hatch residue
breakout; etc.)
• More information is always needed (egg shell temperature;
egg weight loss; duration of egg storage; etc.)
• Incident or trend? If trend: Breeder flock or breeder age
related? Specific setter or hatcher related? Seasonal?
Chick quality

Pasgar©score ; trouble shooting

Trouble shooting:
• Poor reflex
• Navel (small scab /black knob / string /
yellow / open)
• Legs (red hocks / swollen? / dehydrated?)
• Beak (red dot / black nostrils / dirty beak)
• Full belly
Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

• Reflex:
– Poor ventilation in hatcher (high CO2; ‘dead
zones’)
– High temperature in hatcher
– Chilled while waiting for processing
– Other causes …?
Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

• Navel (some background info)
– From day 16 to 19: Small intestine retracted into the
growing body wall leaving, at day 19, a ring-like muscle called
the umbilicus (= the future navel)
– Next: The yolk sac is drawn into the body cavity by rhythmic
contractions of the umbilicus muscles leaving a direct connection
to the small intestine via the yolk stalk + withdrawal of blood
from CAM
– By day 20: The navel closes as the entire yolk sac has been
retracted, with the yolk sac loosely attached to the navel area as
part of the internal body wall.
Synchronized process which easily can be disrupted
Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

• Navel (some background info – short version)
– From day 16 to 19: Retraction of small intestines
– Next:
• Uptake of yolk into the body cavity
• After internal pipping: withdrawal of blood from chorio-
allantoic membrane
– By day 20: Closure of navel

Synchronized process which easily can be disrupted

Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

• Navel
– Proper closure requires ‘synchrony’
– The only thing sure: “something is wrong”
– Navel issues can be seen as ‘early warning’
• Black knob (‘yolk sac’) often related to too high temperature
end of incubation;
• String and leaky yellow navel often related to too low
temperature in hatcher;
• Small black scab (< 2 mm) is more seen in stored eggs, but
also is related to incubation;
• Open navel often in combination with full belly / pulling time?
• ……?
Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

• Legs
– Red hocks:
• Trouble making a full ‘pipping circle’ due to thick belly
• Temperature too high end of incubation
• Damaged after hatch (too much sitting)
• Other causes …?
– Dehydrated:
• Late pulling of chicks;
• Too dry in hatcher;
• Too high temperature in hatcher (panting)
• Other causes …?
Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

• Beak:
– Red dot:
• Too high temperature during incubation
• Damaged during pipping or by basket looks different (low EWL%;
high temp.; poor ventilation)
• Other causes …?
– Black nostrils (= dried, old blood)
• Too high temperature in hatcher
• Too much formalin during/after hatch
– Dirty (= residual albumen) →perhaps also sticky fluff
• Insufficient egg weight loss in setter
• Turning problems → perhaps also malpositions
Chick quality

Pasgar©score; trouble shooting

• Belly:
– What actually is being judged is the amount of of
residual yolk!
• Too much → no optimal incubation conditions to ‘convert
yolk into chick’, could be too high or too low temperature
• Insufficient egg weight loss
• Other causes …?
Pasgar©score

New system by Royal Pas Reform

Combination of:
• General impression
• Individual scoring
– No reflex; new = fluff & other reasons to cull
– Sub-categories for navel, leg and beak
– 0, 1 or 5 points depending on severity
Pasgar©score

New system by Royal Pas Reform

• Currently tested by Pas Reform Academy
during hatchery consultancy visits
Pasgar©score

New system by Royal Pas Reform

• Currently tested by Pas Reform Academy
during hatchery consultancy visits
Royal Pas Reform
Chick Yield
Chick quality

Chick yield
Chick quality

Chick yield
• Target 66 – 68% (higher for long transport)

• Influenced by moisture loss during incubation

and after hatch

• If EWL% is good, but CY not, check:

– Pulling time
– Incubation temperature
– Humidity in hatcher
Royal Pas Reform
Yolk free body mass
Chick quality

Yolk free body mass

Same chick yield; different chick quality

Which chick do
you prefer?

Source: book “hatchery signals (Roodbont Publishers)

Chick quality

Yolk free body mass

embryo
+
yolk residue
=
chick weight

Soure: G. Baggott (2009) (based on data from Romanoff (1968)

Chick quality

Summary metabolism – 1 ‘full bellies’

• Without energy the embryo cannot develop.

• Krebs-cyclus results in ATP = carrier of energy
• To run Krebs-cyclus is needed:
– C2-components: from fatty acids (C2 – C24) Fat = glycerol + fatty acids
– C3-components: from carbohydrates (C6H12O6) Glucose Glycogen

In popular words: “Embryo utilizes both fat and

carbohydrates to get energy for development”

How does the embryo get its energy for development?

Chick quality

Summary metabolism – 2 ‘full bellies’

Nutrients in egg?

Nutrients (%) Yolk Albumen Total egg

excl. shell and membranes
Water 48.8 87.8 75.3
Lipids (fat) 30.9 - 10.0
Protein 16.8 10.5 12.5
Carbohydrates 1.8 1.0 1.2
Vitamins, minerals
Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/egg-food
Chick quality

Summary metabolism – 3 ‘full bellies’

How does the embryo get its energy?

‘Fresh’ egg only < 1% glucose, … % fat (yolk) and … %
protein (yolk & albumen); so … % water

• 1st week: limited O2-availablity → use of glucose

• Around day 7: CAM → O2 to embryo → use of fat
– Glycerol is used to make new glucose; surplus stored as glycogen

• Plateau phase: O2 becomes limiting factor → partly shift from

fat to glucose from stored glycogen (requires less O2 than using fat)
• When short of O2: Cannot fully use fat and glycogen!!!

High temperature = risk factor!!!

Chick quality

Summary metabolism – 4 ‘full bellies’

Temperature too high → shortage of O2

Embryo cannot fully use fat and glycogen → problem?!?
One more option for energy (anaerobic)

Protein from body tissue → good idea?

• Lower Yolk Free Body Mass
• Smaller heart
• More residual yolk (‘full bellies’)
• More ‘dead-in-shell’
Royal Pas Reform
Batch quality
Chick quality

What is a good quality d.o.c.?

1. Individual quality
a. …
b. …

2. Batch quality
a. …
b. …
Chick quality

Aspects of batch quality

1. Uniformity: donor flock / size / quality / …

2. Free of pathogens
Chick quality

Aspects of batch quality: uniformity

Incubation for uniformity results in uniform

batches of day old chicks which have to potential to
grow to batches of uniform sized broilers/PS/layers.
Chick quality

What is uniformity?

Do you measure uniformity of day-old

chicks in your hatchery?
• How?
• Results?
• Standard?
Chick quality

What is uniformity?

Hatchery manager 1:

“I go for first class, uniform and good looking day-old-

chicks”
Chick quality

What is uniformity?

Hatchery manager 2:

“I go for a narrow hatch window”

40
35
% of chicks hatched

30
25
20
15
10
5
0
12 24 36 48 60 72
Hours in the hatcher
Chick quality

What is uniformity?

Hatchery manager 3A:

“I go for chicks with a uniform weight”

Xn = 44.2 + 3.6 (g); n = 59

Uniformity = 88.1 %

Options:
• + and - 1 standard deviation
• + and - 10% of average weight
• + and – …% of average weight
• CV
Chick quality

What is uniformity?

Hatchery manager 3B:

“I go for chicks with a uniform weight”

Chick quality

Free of pathogens

Monitoring micro-biological chick quality

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Royal Pas Reform

Thank you
Introduction

Good hatchery results is your goal!

How to measure “Good chick quality”?

• % culls

• Pasgar©score

• Weight (+ uniformity) / length / YFBM

• ……
(Residue) breakout: interpretation

Protocol

1. Description of the problem

– Low hatchabilty
– Poor chick quality

More specific information is need!

(Residue) breakout: interpretation

Protocol

2. Specific information
Before or Hatch.% Unhatched Died at Died at Died at
after of ‘eggs eggs per 150 10-18 internal external
advice set – eggs set days pipping pipping
clears’ (%) (%) (%)
Before 86.5 17 (= 11.3%) 7.1 1.5 2.7
After
Pasgars©core = 8.7 ;
– 30 % chicks have thick belly
– 14 % chicks has red hocks
(Residue) breakout: interpretation

Protocol

3. Conclusion and advice

– Red hocks → Suspect high temperature at end

incubation

– Thick belly → Suspect high humidity or low

temperature during first part of incubation

This is just a suspicion; needs to be confirmed !

(Residue) breakout: interpretation

Protocol

3. Conclusion and advice

Advice: Increase
Average egg shell
temperatures
temperature
setpoints during
first 16 days of
Temperature set incubation
points
(Residue) breakout: interpretation

Protocol

4. Evaluation
Before or Hatch.% Unhatched Died at Died at Died at
after of ‘eggs eggs per 150 10-18 internal external
advice set – eggs set days pipping pipping
clears’ (%) (%) (%)
Before 86.5 17 (= 11.3%) 7.1 1.5 2.7
After 92.6 8 (= 5.3%) 3.9 0.4 1.9
Pasgar©score = 8.7 → 9.2 ;
– 30 % → 7 % chicks have thick belly
– 14 % → 5 % chicks has red hocks