The aim of this study was to evaluate the microclimatic conditions of the egg room and its influence on water loss in fertile eggs in relation to different ages of breeders and storage time. The egg room, which had 4 air conditioners, presented the following dimensions: 15 x 9.90 x 2.8 m. Three breeders of different age and three intervals of storage time were selected. By the time the birds reached the age, 1440 eggs were collected. Also, a mass in kg of 140 eggs of each treatment was determined using a semi-analytical balance in order to evaluate the water loss in the eggs. The microclimatic assessment of the room was performed at intervals of 10 min. by registering the temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), and enthalpy (kg kJ-1 dry air) using 19 dataloggers. The experimental delineation used was completely randomized with factorial scheme 3 x 3. The microclimatic conditions of the room were above the ideal range, where summer was the hottest period. The eggs originated from old and breeders of intermediate age with storage time of 50-52 hours presented the highest water loss.
pre-hatching ambience; thermal comfort; aviculture; installations; water loss of eggs
