Evaluation of the Technical Parameters of the Pravicom Hatchery for the Production of Day-Old Broiler Chicks in the Municipality of Korhogo, in Northern Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract

A study was conducted in the municipality of Korhogo, in northern Côte d’Ivoire, at the PRAVICOM hatchery located in Lakpolo. It was found that there were recurring shortages in the supply of chicks to farmers due to demand far outstripping supply. The overall objective of this study was to contribute to improving the technical parameters of chick production at the hatchery. An experimental design was implemented involving 64,277 Cobb 500 hatching eggs, divided into three batches. Each batch was incubated for 18 days followed by three days of hatching, making a total of 21 days. These eggs were imported from Morocco, and air transport was the method chosen by the hatchery. It was found that the temperature of the incubators ranged between 37.5 and 37.8 °C, whilst relative humidity varied between 55% and 60% during incubation and 75% to 80% during hatching. Ventilation reached 50% to 55% during the incubation phase and 35% during the hatching phase. Regarding the hatch rate, the average was 85.68 ± 3.5%, corresponding to 55,078 hatched eggs. The embryonic mortality rate was estimated at 12.15%, 18.42% and 11.43% respectively for each of the batches, with batch 2 recording the highest mortality rate. Comparison of the results between the different batches revealed a highly significant difference (p = 0.0001). Altogether, the technical parameters for chick production were acceptable, despite the high embryonic mortality rate, which the hatchery aims to reduce in order to improve its performance.