Effects of incubation temperature and relative humidity on embryonic development in eggs of red-winged tinamou (Rhynchotus rufescens)

• Autor(a) principal: Boleli, Isabel Cristina [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: de Queiroz, Sandra Aidar [UNESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2012.517.523; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/227010
• topic: Aves; Egg incubation; Hatchability; Mortality; Tinamid

This study was conducted to assess the effects of incubation temperature (34°C, 36°C and 38°C) and relative humidity (RH, 50% and 60%) on egg weight loss, embryo mortality, hatchability, incubation time and chick weight in eggs from red-winged tinamou. The eggs were placed in incubators that were operated at 34°C, 36°C, or 38°C and 50% or 60% RH (mean wet bulb temperatures of 28°C and 30°C, respectively) from day 1 to hatching. Each treatment had two replicate groups of 30 eggs each. Hatchability varied with incubation temperature and RH and was highest for eggs incubated at 36°C and 60% RH and lowest for eggs incubated at 38°C. Early, intermediate and late embryo mortality were highest at 38°C, 38°C/50% RH, and 50% RH, respectively. Incubation period was longest at 34°C and shortest at 38°C/50% RH. Present results show the highest hatchability of red-winged tinamou eggs after incubation at 36°C and 60% RH; highest embryo sensitivity to high temperature in the early period of incubation (1 to 7 days), to high temperature and low RH in the second period of incubation (8-14 days) and to low RH in the late period of incubation (after 15 days) and shortest incubation period with increasing temperature and RH. © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2012.