The study aimed at determining the hatchability of turkey eggs as related to the shell surfach characteristics (regular shells, rough shells and pigment-spotted shells – group 1, 2 and 3, respectively). A total of 17 590 eggs of Broad-breasted White Turkeys, marked individually, were considered during the peak of the laying season. Shell microstructure was examined of 60 eggs from each group, using a scanning electron microscope while hatchability was estimated based on fertilization rate, percentage of dead embryos and hatching rate (healthy poults only).The main differences between the shells from group 1 and 2 included different size of cuticular plates, thicker crystal layer, thinner palisade and mammillary layers, curved walls of the mammillae, and thicker fibres of the inner shell membrane. Eggshells from group 3 showed a significantly thicker crystal layer and curving fibres of the inner shell membrane compared to group 1 shells.The hatching rate of set eggs was highest (77.15%) in group 1. Embryo mortality rates were by 4.9 and 5.4 per cent points higher in eggs from groups 2 and 3, respectively, than in eggs from group 1.The hatchabilities of rough-shelled eggs (group 2) and eggs with pigment spots (group 3) appeared lower than of eggs with regular shells (group 1).
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