Abstract

Chicken production plays a major in the livelihood of rural people due to the provision of eggs and meat which are high sources of protein. This calls for sustainable production of chickens through strategies aimed at improving the hatchability of eggs and survival of chickens. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of egg storage length on egg hatchability and survival of the Koekoek chickens. A total number of 270 eggs were divided into three treatment groups, and the eggs of each group were stored for 3, 7, and 11 days before incubation. Each treatment consisted of three replicates. The General Linear Model procedure was used to analyze the data. The eggs that were stored for three days before incubation had a higher hatching percentage, compared to those that were stored for 7 and 11 days before incubation. Storing eggs for few days before incubation resulted in reduced embryonic mortality rate and lower mortality of chickens during the first seven days after hatching. Based on these results, is recommended that Koekoek chicken eggs should be stored for three days before incubation to maximize hatchability and survival of chickens before the age of seven days.