ArticlePoultry science2025
Effects of on-farm hatching versus hatchery hatching on growth performance, gut development, and intestinal health and function in broiler chickens.
Article in Poultry science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Developmental dynamics of crop morphology, microbiota, and mucosal immunity in chickens.Journal of animal science and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Chick neonatal environment: the presence of a hen, not hatching system, promotes cecal microbiota development and induces limited long-term effects on immunity and redox balance.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Effects of coarse corn or oat hulls on growth performance, intestinal health, and microbiota modulation in underperforming broilers.Animal nutrition (Zhongguo xu mu shou yi xue hui) · 2025Article
- Tissue-specific transcriptomic adaptation in three strains of chickens during coinfections with parasites.Gut pathogens · 2025Article
- Dietary inclusion of defatted black soldier fly larvae meal: impacts on laying hen performance, egg quality, serum biomarkers, and intestinal morphology.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
An alternative hatching system known as hatch on-farm (HOF) provides early access to feed compared to hatch in hatchery (HH) system. Early feeding may promote favorable gut development, potentially improving intestinal health and broiler performance. Previous studies have assessed the effects of HOF on chick quality, welfare and performance, its impacts on gut health remain inconclusive. A total of 560 Ross 308 male chicks were reared until d 38, hatched either in a hatchery (n = 280) or on-farm (n = 280), with 14 replicates per system and 20 birds per pen. Production parameters were periodically monitored. Digestive and immune organ characteristics, intestinal permeability and histomorphology were assessed on d 7, 14, and 38. High-throughput qPCR analyzed 79 ileal genes regarding barrier integrity, immune function, nutrient transporters, gut hormones, metabolism, and oxidation. HOF chicks had higher d1 body weights than HH chicks (P < 001), but this advantage disappeared within first week, with no subsequent performance differences. HOF chickens demonstrated increased duodenal villus width on d 7 and 14, and increased ileal crypt depth and submucosal thickness on d 7 (P < 0.05). Relative bursal weight was higher on d 14 (P = 0.018) and tended to be higher on d 38 in HOF chickens (P = 0.094). Intestinal permeability remained unaffected (P > 0.05), while HH chicks showed upregulation of gut barrier genes such as MUC5ac on d 7 and CLDN2 and MUC2 on d 14 (P < 0.05). HH chicks also showed upregulation of nutrient transports including VDR on d 7 and SLC30A1 and SLC5A9 on d 38, and decreased expression of the appetite-suppressing hormone CCK on d 7 (P < 0.05). HOF chicks upregulated immune-related genes, including IL-8 on d 7, IL-6, IFN-γ, AVBD9 on d 14, and NOS2 on d 38 (P < 0.05), and the oxidation gene HIF1A on d 38 (P = 0.039). In conclusion, although the HOF showed only transient growth advantages, it enhanced mucosal morphology and modulated immunity, indicating improved intestinal health.
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