Methods for reducing pathogens in poultry hatchery operations

Abstract

A pathogen reduction means is provided that implements a method of treating eggs at a poultry hatchery. The method includes placing a production quantity of poultry eggs in a placer incubator, the eggs being maintained in a plurality of egg plates. The poultry egg is removed from the placer incubator at a predetermined incubation date, such predetermined date being during approximately ninth to twelfth days of incubation. After removal of the poultry eggs from the placer incubator, the poultry eggs are subjected to an egg detection system at a predetermined date to determine which of the poultry eggs are viable and which of the poultry eggs are non-viable. The non-survivable egg is removed from the egg plate at a predetermined date. The survivable egg remaining in the egg plate after inspection by the egg detection system is incubated until incubation.

Description

Methods for reducing pathogens in poultry hatchery operations

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on February 2, 2018, with application number 201880010377.1 and invention title "Method for Reducing Pathogens in Poultry Hatchery Operations". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates generally to egg handling in poultry hatcheries. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a method for reducing the incidence of pathogens present in poultry hatchery operations. Background Technology

[0003] The responsible use of antibiotics is one of the many important methods in treating animal diseases. However, poultry farmers are constantly seeking alternative methods to control disease while reducing antibiotic use in response to consumer concerns about the use of antibiotics to treat and prevent poultry diseases. In poultry hatcheries, pathogens may be found in infertile or non-viable eggs (dead embryos) during the 21-day incubation period until the chicks hatch. These infertile or non-viable eggs can act as incubators for pathogens to grow during the 21-day incubation period.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method for reducing the incidence of pathogens present in poultry hatchery operations in order to reduce the need for antibiotic use. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure addresses the above and other needs. According to one aspect, this disclosure provides a pathogen reduction method for implementing a method of handling eggs in a poultry hatchery. The method includes: placing a production quantity of poultry eggs in a setter incubator, the eggs being maintained on multiple egg flats. Removing the eggs from the setter incubator on a predetermined incubation date, which is approximately between the ninth and twelfth day of incubation. After removing the eggs from the setter incubator, subjecting the eggs to an egg detection system on a predetermined date to determine which eggs are viable and which are not. Removing the non-viable eggs from the egg flats on the predetermined date. Incubating the viable eggs remaining on the egg flats after inspection by the egg detection system until hatching.

[0006] Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure offer advantages, as further detailed herein. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Various embodiments of this disclosure have been described in general terms. Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in which:

[0008] Figure 1 shows a live egg at approximately the first day of incubation;

[0009] Figure 2 shows a live egg at approximately the eleventh day of incubation;

[0010] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a novel process according to one aspect of this disclosure that can be used as a pathogen reduction means in commercial poultry hatcheries.

[0011] Figure 4 is a data table of control group eggs generated for comparison with the treatment group in various experiments.

[0012] Figure 5 is a data table of treated eggs that have undergone the process of pathogen reduction in commercial incubators, used for comparison with the data in Figure 4. Detailed Implementation

[0013] Various aspects of this disclosure will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate some, but not all, aspects of this disclosure. In fact, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the aspects listed herein; rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will meet the requirements of applicable law. Similar numerals throughout refer to similar elements.

[0014] An egg can be a "live" egg, meaning it contains a viable embryo. Figure 1 shows a live poultry egg 1 at approximately the first day of incubation. Figure 2 shows a live egg 1 at approximately the eleventh day of incubation. Egg 1 has a slightly narrower end near the point indicated by 10, and a relatively widened or blunted end portion near the point indicated by 20. In Figure 1, the embryo 2 is shown on top of the yolk 3. Egg 1 contains an air cell 4 adjacent to the widened end 20. As shown in Figure 2, the chick's wings 5, legs 6, and beak 7 have developed.

[0015] Unhatched eggs include both unfertilized eggs and dead fertilized eggs. An egg can be "unfertilized" or "azoospermia," meaning it does not contain an embryo. More specifically, an "unfertilized" egg is an azoospermia egg that has not decayed. An egg can be an "early-dead" egg, meaning its embryo died at approximately one to five days old. An egg can be a "mid-dead" egg, meaning its embryo died at approximately five to fifteen days old. An egg can be a "late-dead" egg, meaning its embryo died at approximately fifteen to eighteen days old.

[0016] An egg can be a "rotten" egg, meaning it includes a rotten, infertile yolk (e.g., due to cracks in the shell), or alternatively, a rotten, dead embryo. While "early dead," "mid-dead," or "late dead" eggs can be rotten, these terms as used herein refer to these eggs that have not yet rotted. Unfertilized eggs, early dead eggs, mid-dead eggs, late dead eggs, and rotten eggs can also be classified as "non-viable" or "inactive" eggs because they do not include a live embryo.

[0017] In poultry hatchery operations, eggs are incubated for up to twenty-one days until hatching. First, the eggs are placed in a placement incubator and positioned in an egg tray, which keeps the eggs upright along their longitudinal axis and allows air circulation around them. On the transfer day (day 18 of incubation), the eggs are transferred to hatching baskets and placed in an incubator. The hatching baskets are constructed to allow the chicks to hatch and then move around. Utilizing this transfer, in which eggs are removed from the incubator, hatchery operators perform candling on the transfer day to facilitate the removal of non-viable eggs from the egg tray before transfer to the hatching baskets. As those skilled in the art know, candling refers to the process of distinguishing live eggs from non-viable eggs using various techniques. Unfortunately, not all non-viable eggs are removed on the transfer day, as this removal depends on the accuracy of the candling techniques used at the hatchery, particularly for mid-term dead eggs, late-term dead eggs, and rotten eggs. Furthermore, by the transfer day, some of the infertile, early-term dead, mid-term dead, or late-term dead eggs may have become rotten eggs capable of bursting and contaminating neighboring eggs.

[0018] This paper has discovered and disclosed that removing non-viable eggs earlier in the incubation period significantly reduces the presence of pathogens and lowers the risk of biocontamination of viable eggs compared to current hatchery industry practices. Specifically, by removing non-viable eggs early in the incubation process, they do not have sufficient time to grow as much pathogenic material (compared to current industry practices) that could otherwise contaminate viable eggs located adjacent to or near such non-viable eggs during the entire incubation cycle (day 21) or part of the incubation cycle (day 18). In other words, removing non-viable eggs early in the incubation process reduces the potential pathogen load that would otherwise be present throughout the entire incubation cycle, thereby increasing the yield of viable eggs and improving the hatching percentage. Furthermore, removing non-viable eggs earlier in the incubation process results in a reduced risk of horizontal transmission of pathogens during handling from day 9 to day 21 of incubation. For example, mechanical handling of eggs on day 18 of incubation often causes rotten eggs to burst and spread contaminants to other nearby or adjacent eggs (horizontal transmission). The disclosed method helps reduce this risk of horizontal transmission. During incubation days 9–21, the pathogen has other means of horizontal transmission, and the methods disclosed herein are intended to reduce this associated risk.

[0019] As previously described, poultry hatcheries candle eggs on day eighteen when removing them from the incubator, transferring them from the egg tray carrier to the hatching basket, and placing them back into the incubator. However, by day eighteen, rotten eggs may have already contaminated otherwise viable eggs. As previously mentioned, in some cases, early-dead or mid-dead eggs can become rotten eggs that serve as breeding grounds for pathogens. In this regard, by removing eggs earlier in the incubation process according to this disclosure, operators can remove such early-dead and mid-dead eggs before they become rotten eggs capable of contaminating otherwise viable eggs.

[0020] There are interacting factors that support the removal of all non-viable eggs from incubation between days 9 and 12 as a unique pathogen reduction mechanism. One factor is physiological and is associated with the safe handling of live eggs during incubation. Another factor is microbiological and is associated with the nutritional composition of the egg and the potential accessibility of possible pathogens.

[0021] Physiologically, safe handling of eggs during incubation occurs between days 9 and 12. There are two main reasons: one involves the need to rotate the egg, and the other is the need to heat or cool the egg. The egg generates heat between approximately days 12 and 13, producing approximately 0.1774 to 0.2559 BTU. Cooling the egg is necessary after day 13, and therefore deheating plays a crucial role in incubation after that time. If the given heat is below the optimal level, embryonic development will be slowed at any time, but excessive heat will kill the embryo at any time. Since the embryo itself generates heat, higher temperatures are more likely to occur in the incubation environment after day 13.

[0022] There is an important point between approximately day 1 and day 8 of incubation: the eggs are continuously rotated (90 degrees per hour on the vertical axis) to simulate natural egg rotation. Typically, chickens rotate the eggs by rolling them up to 100 times or more per day in the nest. Commercial incubators can rotate the eggs once per hour (24 times per day). The physical rotation needs to be stopped after approximately day 7 or 8 of incubation, thus further supporting the safe disposal of eggs on day 9 or later in commercial incubation.

[0023] As previously described, non-viable eggs include infertile eggs and any eggs in which the embryo has died after the start of incubation. These two types of eggs (infertile eggs, early-dead eggs) represent potential nutrient sources for bacteria and fungi. The nutrient is not in the albumen; the nutrient is in the yolk. As shown in Figure 1, the yolk is encased in a yolk membrane and suspended within the albumen. Typically, most bacteria and fungi cannot access the yolk until approximately day 9 of incubation. As the albumen decomposes and liquefies (releasing water) due to time and incubation temperature, the yolk (fatty acids) "floats" within the albumen and comes into contact with the inner shell membrane.

[0024] Then, bacteria and fungi trapped in the shell's inner / outer membrane matrix (from the start of the egg-laying / cooling process) can potentially access the yolk's nutrients and contaminate the egg. Early contamination of these non-viable eggs may occur during incubation, but this is caused by cracked or incomplete shells. These cracked eggs are usually discarded and not included in production.

[0025] Importantly, as provided in this disclosure, removing infertile or early-dead eggs that are not viable on days 9-12 eliminates the possibility of bacterial and fungal growth within a safe timeframe to allow the remaining live egg group to develop, thereby reducing pathogens by eliminating pathogens before contamination occurs.

[0026] The methods of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring first to Figure 3, an exemplary method is illustrated for treating poultry eggs to reduce the incidence of exposure to pathogens within poultry hatchery operations. In this regard, the processes disclosed herein can provide a means of pathogen reduction for use in commercial poultry hatchery operations.

[0027] First, commercially produced eggs can be transported to a hatchery for incubation. The eggs may arrive at an egg tray or other similar container constructed based on the type of incubator equipment used at the hatchery. The egg tray is specifically designed to expose the eggs to as much air as possible within the incubator, with the goal of achieving a uniform temperature environment around the eggs. The incubation process can begin in a placement incubator (step 100) having a rack therein that engages with the egg tray to facilitate egg movement, thus simulating a hen moving eggs in her nest. The first day of incubation is referred to as Day 1.

[0028] According to aspects of this disclosure, eggs can be removed from the incubator on approximately day 9, day 10, day 11, or day 12 of incubation (step 200). The data shown in Figure 5 relates to eggs removed during day 10 of incubation, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, as individual hatcheries may calculate incubation days differently. That is, it should be understood that day 10, as defined by the applicant as ten days from the start of incubation, may differ slightly from day 10 defined by hatcheries that count day 0 as day 1 of incubation, such that day 9 corresponds to day 10 of the applicant's definition. Therefore, the applicant has provided a range of incubation days 9 to 12 according to this disclosure to take these different definitions into account. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the method defined herein is expected to successfully reduce the pathogenic load when implemented on any day from day 9 to day 12 of incubation.

[0029] Once removed from the incubator, the eggs can be candled (step 300) to distinguish live eggs from non-live eggs. That is, the eggs can be subjected to an egg candling system (generally referred to herein as an egg detection system) capable of identifying the eggs to determine their viability. Various candling systems can be used in the disclosed process, including those implementing techniques related to spectroscopy, egg opacity, heartbeat / pulse recognition, or other known systems of this kind. Advantageously, the process disclosed herein improves the accuracy of some candling systems, particularly egg opacity candling systems that determine whether an egg is live or non-live based on the amount of infrared light transmitted through the egg. Such egg opacity candling systems can utilize infrared light pulses to identify non-viable eggs that have died during incubation (most effectively, afertile embryos and early dead embryos). Typically, on day 18 of incubation, egg opacity candling systems may have difficulty distinguishing mid-term dead, late-term dead, or rotten eggs from live eggs because by day 18 the embryo is almost full-size and therefore blocks most of the light from passing through the egg for detection. Therefore, by moving the illumination process to an earlier stage of the incubation cycle, the detection of rotten and / or mid-stage dead eggs can be improved, allowing these eggs to be removed to limit their potential negative impact or contamination on surrounding live eggs. Regardless of the illumination system used, removing non-live eggs during days 9–12 of incubation reduces the chance of infertile, early-stage dead, and mid-stage dead eggs turning into rotten eggs, which may burst during downstream mechanical processing (injection, transfer to incubation baskets, removal, etc.).

[0030] Once non-viable eggs have been identified by a light-based system during incubation days 9-12, they can be removed from the egg tray by an egg removal device (step 400), which can be automated using vacuum or mechanical means to lift the non-viable eggs from the tray. In some cases, the light-based and removal functions can be performed by a single system (e.g., the Embrex Egg Remover System, the Embrex® ERH System, both available from Zoetis Ltd.), in which the light-based device communicates with the removal device to identify and remove non-viable eggs. In some cases, the light-based system can employ techniques for determining the presence of a heartbeat / pulse or detecting embryonic movement in the corresponding egg. Such a heartbeat / pulse signal or embryonic movement signal can provide a positive indication that the embryo inside the egg is alive. That is, such techniques can rely on determining whether there is at least one periodic or non-periodic variation in the intensity of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the corresponding egg that corresponds to a movement of the heart or embryo, the presence of which indicates that the egg is viable. This technique relies on maintaining the egg within a certain temperature range, such as between approximately 93℉ (34℃) and 97℉ (36℃), during the light inspection process. This allows the egg to be quickly moved to and passed through the light system while its temperature is continuously monitored.

[0031] After removing non-live eggs, the remaining live eggs can be returned for incubation. In some cases, live eggs may be retained in the egg tray and returned to the placer incubator. On day 18 of incubation, the eggs can be removed from the placer incubator and re-illuminated to remove any remaining non-live eggs, especially late dead eggs (embryos that died after the day 9-12 illumination program). In some cases, live eggs may be injected with treatment substances, such as vaccines, via an embryo injection device (Embrex® Inovoject® system, available from Zoetis Ltd.). Regardless of whether the eggs are re-illuminated or injected, live eggs can be transferred to incubation baskets using an egg transfer device (Embrex® transfer table system, available from Zoetis Ltd.). After being placed in the incubation basket, the live eggs are moved to the incubator incubator, where they will incubate at approximately day 21 of incubation.

[0032] However, in other cases, live eggs may be transferred to incubation baskets via an egg transfer device during days 9–12 of incubation, rather than the usual day 18. Such a transfer during days 9–12 of incubation may be desirable if no further treatment of the eggs before incubation (e.g., light exposure, injection) is required (which may be acceptable since the procedures disclosed herein promote reduction of pathogen load).

[0033] The implementation of the method disclosed herein has been shown to result in a significant reduction of rotten eggs by more than 100x on day 18, and also to reduce early mortality from approximately 6-8% to approximately 1%. With improved illumination techniques, a reduction in rotten eggs of approximately 1,000% can be expected.

[0034] The present invention also relates to the following embodiments:

[0035] 1. A method for processing eggs in a poultry hatchery, the method comprising:

[0036] The produced poultry eggs are placed in incubators, and the eggs are maintained in multiple flats;

[0037] The eggs are removed from the incubator on a predetermined incubation date, which is approximately between the ninth and twelfth day of incubation.

[0038] After the eggs are removed from the incubator, on the predetermined date, the eggs are subjected to an egg detection system to determine which of the eggs are viable and which are not.

[0039] The non-viable eggs will be removed from the egg tray on the scheduled date; and

[0040] The viable eggs, after being inspected by the egg detection system, are kept in the egg tray until hatching.

[0041] 2. The method according to embodiment 1 further includes the steps of: removing the viable eggs from incubation on approximately the eighteenth day of incubation and injecting the treatment substance into the viable eggs.

[0042] 3. The method according to embodiment 2 further includes the following steps: transferring the injected poultry eggs to a plurality of incubation baskets and placing the incubation baskets filled with eggs inside an incubator.

[0043] 4. The method according to embodiment 1 further includes the step of: transferring the viable eggs to a plurality of incubation baskets on the predetermined date, wherein incubating the viable eggs retained in the egg tray until hatching includes placing the incubation baskets filled with eggs into an incubator.

[0044] 5. The method according to embodiment 1 further includes the step of: after removing the eggs from the incubator on the predetermined date, maintaining the eggs at a temperature between approximately 93℉ (34°C) and 97℉ (36°C).

[0045] 6. The method according to embodiment 1, wherein subjecting the egg to an egg detection system includes determining whether there is at least one of a periodic or aperiodic variation in the intensity of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the respective egg, corresponding to a movement of the heart or embryo, the presence of the periodic or aperiodic variation indicating that the egg is viable.

[0046] Further understanding of this disclosure can be obtained from the following non-limiting examples.

[0047] Example

[0048] In each trial, eggs were received from various farms within the hatchery and randomly divided into two groups for split incubation and hatching. Control group eggs were incubated in standard "Jamesway 84" (JW84) incubation trays (egg trays holding 84 eggs). On day 18 of incubation, the control group eggs were removed from the incubator. The eggs were then illuminated using the Embrex® egg remover system, and non-viable eggs were removed from the JW84 incubation trays. During day 18 of incubation, the eggs remaining in the JW84 incubation trays were automatically transferred to hatching baskets. The hatching baskets were then moved to the incubator until hatching.

[0049] Incubate the treated group eggs in a standard "Jamesway 36" (JW36) incubation tray (an egg tray holding 36 eggs). Configure the Embrex® ERH system to utilize the JW36 incubation tray. Using the ERH system, remove the treated group eggs from the placer incubator and illuminate them during day 10 of incubation. The ERH system processes two JW36 incubation trays at a time using 72 individual illumination detectors. Remove all non-viable eggs using a selective vacuum cup. Leave the live eggs in the JW36 incubation tray and return them to the placer incubator. Monitor the eggshell temperature during ERH illumination and maintain it between 97℉ and 93℉. Remove the eggs from the placer incubator for approximately 20–35 minutes. On day 18 of incubation, manually transfer the treated group eggs to incubation baskets. Incubate the treated group eggs in separate incubators from the control group eggs.

[0050] Microbiological monitoring was performed on both groups, including swabs from ambient air plates and eggshell surfaces, as well as from hatched chicks (live chickens / yolks). Eggs that were obviously or clearly contaminated and removed during transfer (day 18) were quantitatively measured, and unhatched eggs after incubation (day 21) underwent standard classification analysis (dissection).

[0051] Figure 4 is a data table of egg production relative to the control group in experiments 1-3. Figure 5 is a data table of egg production relative to the treatment group in experiments 1-3. Control experiment 1 and treatment experiment 1 were conducted on the same day. Control experiment 2 and treatment experiment 2 were conducted on the same day but on a different day than experiment 1. Control experiment 3 and treatment experiment 3 were conducted on the same day but on a different day than experiment 1 and experiment 2. It can be seen that the production measurements of hatching percentage (“% hatching group”) and fertilized egg hatchability (“% hatching fertilized eggs”) are improved due to the treatment. The hatchability of fertilized eggs is based on the number of eggs determined to be alive by the corresponding candling system. The number of obviously or clearly rotten eggs present during the transfer on day 18 was also significantly reduced (“rotten eggs / 1000,000 eggs” egg group). The number of rotten eggs shown in Figures 4 and 5 was determined during the transfer (day 18).

[0052] Table 1. Summary of Egg Dissection—Analysis Results of Unhatched Eggs

[0053]

[0054] Table 1 shows the significant reduction in rotten eggs and decreased late mortality (Late Death) found during the necropsy of unhatched eggs. The data provided in Table 1 are the results of necropsy analyses of unhatched eggs from the corresponding control and treatment groups. In this respect, the number of rotten eggs in Table 1 represents rotten eggs that were not removed during transfer (day 18) due to light restriction (manual or automatic) but were found during necropsy. Therefore, the number of rotten eggs in Table 1 represents the additional reduction in rotten eggs due to treatment, as shown in the tables in Figure 5. That is, the table shows the level of rotten eggs that were not detected at day 18 transfer (significantly) and indicates the additional difference due to treatment.

[0055] Table 2. Summary of Illumination Accuracy

[0056]

[0057] Table 2 summarizes the early dead / infertile eggs and mid-stage dead eggs found during dissection of unhatched eggs. This data shows the relative efficiency of candling systems used to remove non-viable eggs.

[0058] Those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains will recognize numerous modifications and other aspects of this disclosure as beneficial to the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects disclosed, and that the other aspects of the modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terminology is used herein, it is used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. A method for improving the accuracy of a candling system in a poultry hatchery, the method comprising: The produced poultry eggs are placed in incubators, and the eggs are maintained in multiple flats; Implementing a pathogen reduction tool to reduce the pathogen load present throughout the incubation period includes the following steps: reducing the risk of horizontal transmission of pathogens by removing eggs from the incubator on a predetermined incubation date, said predetermined incubation date being approximately between day nine and day twelf of incubation; after removing said eggs from said incubator, subjecting said eggs to an egg transparency light system on said predetermined date to determine which of said eggs are viable and which are not; and removing said non-viable eggs from said egg tray on said predetermined date. And the viable eggs that are incubated in the egg tray after being inspected by the egg detection system until hatching.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: On approximately the eighteenth day of incubation, the viable eggs are removed from the incubator and the treatment substance is injected into the viable eggs.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the following steps: The injected eggs are transferred to multiple incubation baskets and the incubation baskets filled with eggs are placed inside an incubator.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: On the predetermined date, the viable eggs are transferred to a plurality of incubation baskets, and incubating the viable eggs retained in the egg trays until hatching includes placing the incubation baskets filled with eggs into an incubator.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following step: After the eggs are removed from the incubator on the scheduled date, they are maintained at a temperature between approximately 93℉ (34°C) and 97℉ (36°C).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined date is the 10th day of incubation.

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