Understanding the interplay between egg size and embryo development, hatch window using Japanese quail as a model

Different egg size and embryonic development

Abstract

The aim of this study was to delineate the relationship between the egg size and weight, embryo development and hatch window using Japanese quail as a model organism. The Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) has emerged as a popular model organism for studying this relationship, owing to its small size, short incubation period, and relatively simple reproductive biology. Research has shown that egg size can influence various aspects of embryo development, including hatchability, chick growth, and survival rates. A total 400 eggs were categorised into 3 groups; small (7.5-8.5 grams), medium (10-11 grams) and large (13.5-14.5 grams), based on their weight. These eggs of the three groups were incubated at 37.8°C and 65% humidity and were studied for their embryonic development on the 9th and 15th day of setting to further analyze the morphologic difference in embryonic development. Post transfer of the incubated eggs to hatcher, we monitored the external pipping and the difference in timing of the first and last hatch of the chick in the entire group. The preliminary results suggest that the small size eggs have faster embryo development at 9th and 15th day of embryonic development as compared to the large size eggs. However, hatching was poor in the small size and large size eggs compared to medium size eggs.