The effects of exposure of chicken eggs to a 60 Hz electric field on the weight of lymphoid organs and the immune response in hatched chickens should be investigated.
1-day-old eggs were divided into 2 groups (n=50 each): exposure group and control group. After hatching (day 22 of incubation), 30 1-day-old chicks of comparable weight were chosen from each group and were housed in brooders for a maximum of 42 days.
| Exposure | Parameters |
|---|---|
|
Exposure 1:
60 Hz
Exposure duration:
continuous for 18 days
|
|
| Frequency | 60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Exposure duration | continuous for 18 days |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Chamber | incubator |
| Setup | the egg compartment of the incubator (85 cm deep, 50.5 cm width and 83.5 cm height) was divided into two halves by a frame of thin sheet of wire mesh to create an exposure and control compartment; 2 aluminum plates fitted face to face to the sidewalls of the exposure compartment, 50 cm apart, created the electric field; the wire mesh was used to shield the control compartment from the electric field and a three wire grounded power plug in the exposure compartment was used to eliminate currents; eggs were turned every two hours |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 30 kV/m | - | - | - | - |
Chicks from the exposure group had a significantly increased spleen weight in relation to the body weight after 21 and 42 days of incubation compared to chicken from the control group.
All other parameters did not show any significant differences between the exposure group and the control group.
The authors conclude that exposure of chicken eggs to a 60 Hz electric field might increase the ratio of spleen weight to body weight but does not influence the immune response in hatched chickens.
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