To increase productivity rates, many industries of the poultry market hatch most of the eggs produced in the farm, including those with damaged shells. Aiming at evaluating the implications of this practice in the productivity of industrial hatcheries, fertility, eclosion, mortality and contamination rates of 6992 eggs from the Ross and Cobb breeds, were studied. The eggs were allocated in five groups: control, crashed, deformed, washed crashed and washed deformed. Eclosion rates were lower in deformed eggs than in crashed and control eggs (P<0.001), followed by crashed eggs, that were also lower than controls (P<0.001). Washing had no effect within the groups (P>0.05). Contamination and mortality rates increased in deformed (24.3% and 45.4%) and washed deformed eggs (36.1% and 34.0%). The results suggest that deformed eggs should be preferentially eliminated from hatching.
eggs; shell; hatching; productivity
