Seasonal Variation in Fertility and Hatchability of Duck Eggs

MORE losses occur in duck eggs (Horton, 1932) than in chicken eggs (Hafez and Kamar, 1955), during the incubation period, either due to low fertility (Fronda, Zialcita and Dalisay, 1940; Pozo Lora, 1959), or low hatchability (Pritsker, 1941). Ducks, in general, have a restricted breeding season and lay relatively few eggs. Accordingly, it is important to reduce these losses to a minimum to use the reduced number of eggs to produce the highest number of ducklings possible. Seasonal variation occurs in fertility of Khaki Campbell duck eggs. An increase in atmospheric temperature causes the decrease in fertility, while an increase in normal day length causes a rise in fertility when the atmospheric temperature is relatively low (Pozo Lora, 1959). The normally low fertility in Khaki Campbell could be improved by supplemental artificial light summing up to 14 hours of light daily when the atmospheric temperature was relatively low (Pozo Lora …