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Influences of Hypoxia on Hatching Performance in Chickens with Different Genetic Adaptation to High Altitude

H. Zhang^*,1, X. T. Wang^*,,1, Y. Chamba, Y. Ling^* and C. X. Wu^*,2

^* College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Bejing, China 100193; College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China 410128; and College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Tibet University, Linzhi, Tibet, China 860000

² Corresponding author: chxwu{at}public.bta.net.cn

The experiments were conducted to assess how hatching performance is affected by chicken breeds and environment of high altitude and to analyze the vital factor of the low hatchability at a 2,900-m altitude. Eggs of Tibetan and Dwarf chickens were incubated at conditions of normobaric normoxia, normobaric hypoxia, hypobaric hypoxia, and supplemental O₂ at high altitude (hypobaric normoxia) during the whole incubation or at 0 to 7, 8 to 14, and 15 to 22 d of incubation, respectively. The results showed that the Tibetan chickens had greater hatchability (79.72%), lower water loss (12.90%), greater relative embryo weight (38.08%), and relative chick weight (68.41%) compared with the Dwarf chickens (31.69, 15.79, 30.71, and 65.21%, respectively) when both of them were incubated at a 2,900-m altitude. The hatchability was 71.60% in Tibetan chicken and 36.23% in Dwarf chicken under the normobaric hypoxia condition. The hatchability of chicken was efficiently increased with supplemental O₂. The previous results indicated that the O₂ deficit is the main factor resulting in the low hatchability and the poor chick quality of the lowland chicken breed when incubated at a 2,900-m altitude. Breeding chickens for adaptability to hypoxia and supplemental O₂ is a good way to improve the hatchability and chick quality at that altitude.

Key Words: hypoxia • 2,900-meter altitude • genetic adaptation • hatchability

¹ These authors contributed equally to this work.