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During the Prevexxion RN launch event in Istanbul, global poultry consultant Dr. Tolga Erkus delivered one of the meeting’s most influential scientific sessions, titled “Critical Factors Affecting Post-Hatch Chick Quality and Field Performance.” His presentation underscored a key principle increasingly recognized across modern integrations: the economic success of a flock is determined not at the farm, but in the hatchery — often within the first hours of a chick’s life.
Erkus began by highlighting the importance of egg quality and particularly breeder age, explaining that young breeders produce eggs with proportionally smaller yolks. While these eggs may meet weight standards, their biological composition places chicks at an early disadvantage, reducing robustness and compromising uniformity. Such early-life weaknesses have direct economic consequences, as uneven batches require more labor, more interventions and often show reduced lifetime performance.
He then detailed how incubation temperature is one of the hatchery’s most sensitive management variables. The ideal shell temperature range of 99.5–101.5°F must be maintained precisely; deviations above this range can negatively alter organ development. Research he presented shows that even a 2°F increase can shrink heart weight by 20–25%, limit yolk absorption and produce weaker chicks with reduced capacity to cope with early stressors. Physiological shortcomings at hatch often resurface later in the form of inconsistent growth, inferior vaccine response and higher mortality — all of which lead to measurable cost inefficiencies.
A crucial component of the session focused on hatch timing and post-hatch waiting duration. Late-hatching, physiologically immature “green chicks” initiate feeding and drinking later, achieving weaker crop fill and suffering higher first-week mortality. According to Erkus, a 24-hour wait period provides the optimal balance for chick readiness, while overly short waits (around 6 hours) underperform, and waiting longer than 48 hours begins to reduce early growth and survivability. Nevertheless, he emphasized that when environmental and handling conditions are carefully managed, chicks can still tolerate extended holding or transport — an important advantage for integrations with complex logistics.
Throughout his presentation, Erkus repeatedly emphasized the role of uniformity, measured by the coefficient of variation (CV). A CV below 8% remains the benchmark for well-prepared, high-quality chicks. Uniformity supports predictable feed intake, reduces competition-driven stress, enhances vaccination consistency and improves feed conversion. Poor uniformity, by contrast, creates inefficiencies at every stage of production, from farm management to processing yields.
From an economic perspective, Erkus highlighted that early chick quality shapes financial outcomes across the entire production chain. Uniform, well-developed chicks reduce variation in feeding and health management, improve cost control, and require fewer corrective treatments. Strong starts lower first-week mortality — one of poultry production’s most expensive inefficiencies — while better early immunity decreases medication and labor expenses. Robust chicks convert feed more efficiently, directly supporting profitability, and greater uniformity at hatch translates into more consistent carcasses at processing with fewer downgrades.
Erkus concluded with a message that reflects today’s precision-driven industry standards:
“It’s no longer about producing live chicks; it’s about producing uniform, high-quality chicks.”
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