Technological innovation is a permanent need in poultry farming. Therefore, advances in In Ovo treatments are studied to achieve it.

Autors: Jerson Andres Cuellar Sáenz, David Díez, Júlia Pié

In Ovo Vaccination

Vaccination in poultry farming is one of the technologies that has presented more scientific development in the last decades. Certainly, vaccination in poultry farming has offered remarkable advances in this In Ovo treatment.

In poultry farming, have been developed vaccines that can be applied to embryos by route of In Ovo injections. This method of vaccination offers multiple advantages for producers and the farm health. With this method of vaccination, a successful immune response is generated before hatching. The result is that the hatching chick will already have an active immune system and its defenses will be able to respond against environmental pathogens.

Another advantage offered by In Ovo vaccination is the reduced handling of 1-day old chicks. This In Ovo vaccination treatment brings the opportunity to vaccinate a high rate of eggs more quickly and to decrease the labor costs of manual vaccination of 1-day old chicks.

In Ovo injection site

An optimal In Ovo vaccination result is achieved by injecting the vaccine into the amniotic sac of the embryo. If the vaccine is accidentally injected into another location, there will be no or very limited immune protection. In addition, depending on the location of the injection, it could have adverse effects on the egg causing its loss.

Timing of In Ovo Injection

Vaccination as an In Ovo treatment needs to be administered between days 18 to 19 of incubation. In this period, the position of the embryo facilitates the injection. In addition, at this time the eggs move from the incubator to the hatcher, and excessive handling is avoided.

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Recommendations for In Ovo vaccination

1. Avoid prolonged storage of eggs before vaccination.
2. Supervise the incubator parameters (temperature, ventilation, and humidity): they should be stable and optimal.
3. Use only eggs whose shells are in perfect condition, do not use cracked or broken eggs.
4. Prepare the eggs in the correct position (upright); the eggs will then be ready for injection.
5. Use sterile techniques and follow the vaccine manufacturer’s instructions to prepare the vaccine.
6. Maintain a sterile environment and injection area.
7. Have personnel qualified in aseptic techniques available for this operation.

Currently, there are vaccines for In Ovo application against Marek’s disease (it was the first one developed), Gumboro disease, and Newcastle disease. Also, advances have been made for treatment In Ovo against Coccidiosis.

Essential oils and other natural ingredients In Ovo

Poultry farming must always be at the forefront of innovation in technologies to improve production. In recent years, some researchers have focused their efforts on finding natural alternatives to boost chick growth. Research has been conducted on the use of essential oils and other natural ingredients to boost the immune system. This technological breakthrough could improve the response against poultry diseases.

When the embryo is inside the egg, it uses all the nutrients available in the yolk for its development. Thanks to this nutritional input, it can develop its organic systems, such as the musculoskeletal system. Researchers are making advances in In Ovo treatments with the addition of essential oils. These essential oils are a source of compounds and nutrients that improve embryo development.

Advantages of essential oils and other natural In Ovo products

Essential oils and other natural products such as pronutrients, administered In Ovo, improve the poultry’s response against environmental pathogens. Pronutrients are, according to RACVE, micro-ingredients that are included in the formulation of the feeding in small quantities to improve the physiology of the animals. Supplementing embryos with these active ingredients promote the development and intestinal welfare of the chicks when they hatch. On the other hand, this In Ovo treatment breakthrough is an alternative tool against pathogens, other than antibiotics. Currently, the poultry industry is working to decrease the use of antibiotics to avoid bacterial resistance.

One of the natural molecules that have been tested for In Ovo treatments is the cimenol ring which is defined as a natural extract from botanical extracts such as thyme or mint. These extracts are rich in antioxidants, which are molecules that favor the immune response of animals. In addition, it has been found to improve appetite and digestion, which favors development and growth in the first days of life.

Furthermore, the cimenol ring has preservative properties that reduce the load of microorganisms in the feeding for up to six months. This natural molecule has bactericidal and fungicidal capacity.

In recent studies, excellent results have been obtained with in Ovo cimenol ring on mortality in chicks at 3 and 7 days of age. In these, cimenol ring was dosed to chick embryos. The decrease in mortality was 41% at 3 days and 36% at 7 days (see table below):

Finally, there is a great interest from poultry researchers on the injection of these essential oils into fertile eggs by In Ovo injection technology. In this field, they have analyzed several gut health parameters such as microbiome composition, growth, general embryo development, and embryo development stage after fertilization.

In Ovo treatments: use of amino acids.

In a study published in 2014 (Shafey, 2014), researchers administered amino acids In Ovo at 15 days of incubation. The scientists sought to evaluate how the chicks responded to this In Ovo treatment. In the study, they found that the administration of amino acids In Ovo generated two positive effects in the hatched chicks. The first effect was a higher feed intake when the chicks were between 1 and 35 days old. The second was higher weight at hatching. The amino acid mixture that showed the best results was composed of Lysine, Glutamine, Proline, Arginine. Regarding the latter, its administration as an In Ovo treatment is still being investigated.

CONCLUSIONS

The creation of technologies in poultry farming is an engine of development in this productive sector. For this reason, advances in In Ovo treatments constitute one of the milestones in poultry farming. For decades, vaccines have been developed for direct application in the embryo with good results. The administration of essential oils and natural molecules has also been implemented to promote development and intestinal health, such as the cimenol ring. Recently, researchers are interested in the administration of amino acids in the egg to find advantages in chick development. In poultry, more advances in In Ovo treatments will be made in the coming years.

REFERENCES.

Shafey, T. M., Mahmoud, A. H., Alsobayel, A. A., & Abouheif, M. A. (2014). Effects of in ovo administration of amino acids on hatchability and performance of meat chickens. South African Journal of Animal Science, 44(2), 123-130.

Borrell (1990). Metabolitos fúngicos en los alimentos. Real Academia de Ciencias Veterinarias de España, sección 3ª, 26 de mayo de 1990. Disponible en: http://www.racve.es/publicaciones/metabolitos-fungicos-en-los-alimentos-2/