To assess effects of hatching systems on later life welfare and resilience of broiler chickens, a study has been performed within the Healthy Livestock project. Disease resilience and development of humoral immune response was studied under experimental conditions by assessing the response after a live attenuated vaccine of NCD and
IBV.

Three different hatching systems were included in the study, which were: hatchery-hatched, where chickens hatched in a conventional hatching system, were processed, and transported to the research facility, hatchery-fed, where chickens hatched at the hatchery and were provided with immediate feed and water, and finally on-farm hatching, where fertile eggs at day 18 of incubation were transported to and hatched at the research facility.

The video shows a prototype of the on-farm hatching system that is used during this study. Results are currently processed and can be expected soon.