Effect of intensity of eggshell pigment and illuminated incubation on hatchability of brown eggs

The effects of intensity of brown eggshell pigment (light (LBP), medium (MBP) and dark (DBP)) and light intensity during incubation (low and high, 900 to 1380 and 1430 to 2080 lux, respectively) on eggshell characteristics, embryonic growth, hatchability traits, chick hatching weight and hatching time were investigated using eggs from a meat-type breeder (Hybro) flock at 32, 36 and 41 weeks of age in three trials. With eggs of similar weights the intensity of brown pigment was not associated with eggshell weight and thickness, and did not influence embryo weight and egg weight loss during incubation. The shade of brown pigment of eggs laid by young hens influenced the percentage hatchability (HP) of eggs incubated under light. Illuminated incubation improved HP of LBP eggs (compared with MBP and DBP eggs) from 32- and 36-week-old hens, but had no significant effect on HP of eggs from 41-week-old hens. Light intensity during incubation did not influence egg weight loss. High intensity of light during incubation reduced HP and increased early death percentage (EDP) in the LBP and MBP groups, and did not influence HP and EDP in the DBP group. Brown eggshell pigment and intensity of light during incubation did not influence hatching time. It is concluded that the shade of brown pigment, intensity of light during incubation and age of the breeder hens influenced the hatchability performance of embryos from brown eggs. Light during incubation improved the hatchability of embryos in light brown eggs laid by young hens and the shade of brown pigment of eggs laid by older hens did not influence hatchability under illuminated incubation. High intensity of light during incubation reduced hatchability of light and medium brown eggs, but not the dark brown eggs.     

Categorisation and causes of abnormal egg shells: relationship with stress

Concern regarding the proportion of brown eggs being laid with abnormal egg shells led to an investigation of the relationship between disturbance or stress and egg shell appearance and quality. The abnormalities fell into two main classes: misshapen or bulging eggs and eggs coated with a superficial layer of amorphous calcium, variously termed dusted, white banded, chalky or pink eggs. Translocation of hens from pens to cages resulted in a decrease in egg production and an increase in the proportion of abnormal eggs over the succeeding 18 d. Disturbance to flocks on deep litter resulted in an increase in the proportion of eggs laid with abnormal shells on the following day, not only in the flocks directly affected but also in an adjacent flock. Exclusion from their nests of birds accustomed to laying in nest boxes resulted in disturbed prelaying behaviour, retention of eggs in the shell gland and an increased proportion of coated eggs. Administration of 0.1, 0.25 or 1.0 mg of adrenaline subcutaneously resulted in the retention of eggs currently in the hens' shell glands and in an increased proportion of eggs with abnormal egg shells being laid during the following 10 d. A dose response effect was apparent. There was evidence that the nature of the particular abnormality produced was dependent on the stage of egg formation at which the disturbance was imposed and, if retention followed, upon the length of time the egg was retained. Disturbances when eggs were only lightly calcified tended to result in misshapen eggs, while those occurring when oviposition was imminent tended to result in coated eggs. Dusted or pink eggs followed moderate retention whereas white banded eggs were seen after prolonged retention. These observations may provide a basis for a non-invasive method of assessing stress in laying hens as well as helping to account for hitherto inexplicable occurrences of declining egg shell quality.     

Vitamin C Overcomes the Detrimental Effect of Vanadium on Brown Eggshell Pigmentation

Phosphorus supplementation from poor quality feed-grade sources may introduce excessive levels of vanadium (V) into the diets of laying hens. Vanadium in the diet of chickens has been shown to be detrimental to egg production, albumen height, BW, and feed consumption. This study showed that dietary V also has a negative effect on the color of brown eggshells from commercial-type layers. Commercial-type brown egg layers were fed a cornsoybean meal basal diet supplemented with 0, 50, or 100 ppm of V as NH₄ VO₃ to determine the effect on shell pigmentation. Hens fed V at both dietary concentrations laid lighter colored eggs (less redness) after only 2 d. Another experimental group of the same type of hens that were fed lower V concentrations (0, 15, or 30 ppm) also had less shell pigmentation. After the detrimental “bleaching” effect on shell color was observed, these diets were supplemented with 1 of the following: no supplement, 100 ppm of vitamin C, 100 IU of vitamin E, or 100 ppm of β-carotene. Only vitamin C restored the eggshell color of eggs from hens fed both levels of V. When these same antioxidants were added as preventive agents to diets supplemented with 15 ppm of V before the effects of V were established, brown layers benefited again from 100 ppm of vitamin C but not from vitamin E or β-carotene.     

Comparative Pigmentation Efficiency of High Dietary Levels of Apo-Ester and Marigold Extract on Quality Traits of Whole Liquid Egg of Two Strains of Laying Hens

This trial was carried out to compare the effect of the dietary supplementation of high doses of either synthetic pigment ethyl ester of β-apo-8′-carotenoic acid (apo-ester) or natural pigments, mainly lutein and zeaxanthin, extracted from Tagetes erecta, on egg quality of hens laying brown shell eggs (ISA Brown) and white shell eggs (Hy-Line White W-36). The hens of each strain were divided into 6 groups and fed a corn-soybean basal diet supplemented either with 40, 60, and 80 ppm of apo-ester (APO) or with 120, 180, and 240 ppm of marigold extract (MAR). Egg pigmentation rose linearly and significantly (P < 0.01) as the dietary levels of apo-ester increased, but this did not occur when MAR supplementation was used. The amount of β-carotene equivalents in whole liquid egg of MAR treatments was almost constant with varying pigment dietary dose and was significantly lower (P < 0.01) than in APO treatments. In both hen strains, whole liquid egg redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) were higher with APO supplementation. The egg component weights were highly affected (P < 0.01) by the hen strain, with yolk:egg ratio higher in the Hy-Line. The trial confirms that in spite of the higher level of MAR supplementation, APO has a better efficiency in whole liquid egg pigmentation. The ISA Brown hens showed a better ability to absorb dietary carotenoids than did the Hy-Line White.     

Effects of experimental infection of fowl with EDS'76 virus,infectious bronchitis virus and/or fowl adenovirus on laying performance

Following BCI4 (EDS'76) virus infection of brown layer hens at 33 weeks of age, production of normally shelled eggs dropped from 87 per cent to 49 per cent within 3 weeks. The production of soft shelled and shell‐less eggs attained a maximum of 33 per cent 3 weeks after infection (p.i.). Shell quality recovered completely within 5 weeks p.i.

Egg production problems in White Leghorns infected with BCI4 virus were less severe and of shorter duration than in brown layers.

Both in brown layers and in White Leghorns total egg production, mean weight of normally shelled eggs, and internal egg quality were not affected following BCI 4 virus infection at 33 and 28 weeks of age, respectively. Besides shell abnormalities no clinical disease symptoms were observed. Vaccination with a commercial EDS'76 vaccine (Nobivac EDS'76^®) at 17 weeks of age had no adverse effects on laying performance and provoked adequate immunity against challenge at 33 weeks of age. The same observations were made following BCI4 virus infection at 17 weeks of age.

After infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) (H52 virus) infection of laying fowl the percentage of eggs with shell aberrations (rough, misshapen and/ or soft shells) increased to a maximum of 8 per cent, total egg production was depressed, mean egg weight was reduced I to 2 grams, and up to 10 Per cent of normally shelled eggs showed watery, not ropy thin albumen. This abnormally thin albumen was observed in a considerably higher proportion of eggs with shell defects than in normally shelled eggs. No turbidity of the thick albumen was observed and no symptoms of respiratory disease were noticed.

The severity and duration of adverse effects of IBV infection on laying performance depend very much on the stage of production in which the infection occurs. Following IBV infection at the onset of production a much severer drop in total production and in production of normally shelled eggs, a greater increase in the number of abnormally shelled eggs, and more lasting adverse effects on egg weight and internal egg quality were observed, in comparison with infection after peak production. Compared with single infections, a combined BC14 virus and IBV infection of brown layers at 33 weeks of age resulted in greatly potentiated adverse effects on total egg production, number of eggs with aberrant internal quality, and duration of production problems.

Following a combined BC14 virus and IBV infection, in a great proportion of eggs with shell defects and watery thin albumen, turbidity of the thick albumen was observed also, probably due to combined effects on the uterus of both IBV and BC14 virus.

BC14 virus infection did not reinforce the adverse influence of IBV infection on egg weight.

The same observations as described for the combined BC14 virus and IBV infection were made following BC14 virus infection of fowl previously infected with IBV.

It is concluded that changes of internal egg quality in field cases of EDS'76 are most likely due to subclinical IBV infections.

After infection of brown layers at 33 weeks of age with fowl adenovirus 66 (FA V 66) neither symptoms of clinical disease were observed nor effects on egg production, egg weight, and egg quality. Also, in a combined infection with FA V66, IBV, and BCI4 virus, no pathogenic significance could be attributed to the FAV.     

家蚕实用品种夏芳卵色变异的遗传特性及淘汰方法

蚕品种夏芳的卵色为黑褐带绿色,卵壳为淡黄色。在应用中出现了卵色不纯,区间和区内卵色驳杂。区间差异,其代表型变异卵色为棕褐色,蛾区内较一致;区内有差异者主要表现为正常型与果绿色的深浅对比,其中多数是后产下卵的内环少部分卵粒颜色浅,也有随机分布者。经采用后代鉴定法和杂交试验研究,结果：①同蛾区内卵色的深、浅对比差异在后代没有明显的遗传趋向,并非单一的卵色遗传因素引起;②代表型变异卵色--棕褐色由隐性基因控制,表现母性遗传,并区别于家蚕的其它母性遗传卵色,可能为一新的家蚕母性遗传卵色基因。此外,滞育性较弱容易产生生种,也是导致夏芳在整体上卵色驳杂表现的一个因素。提出淘汰变异卵、纯化品种性状的方案为：①直接在母种中选除具有变异卵的蛾区;②对表型为标准性状的母种蛾区,在蛾区半保留条件下,用同蛾区交配法进行后代鉴定,或测交法结合次代鉴定进行区别,以基因型为 / 的半蛾保种或繁育原种,淘汰基因型为 /b及b/b的蛾区。同时,注意综合选择,加强催青温度控制和饲养规范等技术措施。     

The hen's egg: Factors affecting shell splitting during boiling

Experiments are described from which it is concluded that the shell will split when an egg is boiled if thermal expansion of the egg's liquid or gaseous contents, which have a higher coefficient of expansion than the shell, is insufficiently relieved by escape through the membranes and pores. The probability of splitting was enhanced if the shell had low structural strength due to a pre‐existing crack or to large size, skew shape or low effective thickness; once these factors had been taken into account there was no significant effect of the shell's aspect ratio, colour, glossiness, roughness or degree of ridging, nor of the hen's age or a strain history of selection for egg production. The incidence of splitting depended also on storage time and temperature: it was very low in newly laid eggs; in eggs stored at room temperature it rose to a maximum at about 5 d, then fell and was again low after about 21 d; in eggs stored at — 2 °C the time‐scale was increased and the incidence of splitting was still high after 14 d storage. These effects are due to two changes occurring during storage: progressive reduction of permeability of the membranes and shell to the liquid contents of the egg, which impedes escape of the contents when they expand during cooking, and progressive increase in the size of the air space, which provides expansion space. Allowing refrigerated eggs to warm to room temperature before cooking and adding salt to the cooking water did not significantly affect the incidence of splitting; putting eggs into cold rather than boiling water did not reduce the incidence of splitting except when the air space was large, following prolonged storage at room temperature.

The belief, common among housewives, that shell splitting occurs more commonly now than in earlier decades may be well‐founded but, if so, the change is probably due to a combination of two practices that have been introduced to maintain interior egg quality but which coincidentally raise the probability of shell‐splitting during boiling: rapid distribution from hen to housewife and refrigerated storage. There is no evidence that shells are now thinner, that hens of modern, high‐production strains lay eggs with weaker shells or that white shells are weaker than brown ones.     

不同类型鸡蛋物理性状的测定与分析

通过对20个白壳和48个褐壳新鲜商品蛋鸡鸡蛋的主要物理性状指标进行测定、计算,取得了这两种类型鸡蛋的蛋型指数、蛋壳厚度,蛋黄、蛋白和蛋壳在总蛋重中各自所占的比例及蛋的比重等物理性状指标。通过分析,分别得出了不同品种鸡群所产鸡蛋的蛋重与蛋黄重、蛋重与蛋壳比例、蛋壳比例与蛋的比重、蛋壳厚度与蛋壳的比例、蛋重与蛋的比重等几对性状之间的相关系数,并对它们进行了显著性检验。对两种类型鸡蛋的物理性状和几种性状之间相关系数进行了对比。     

Prevalence of antibodies to Mycoplasma synoviae in laying hens and possible effects on egg shell quality

Mycoplasma synoviae (M. synoviae) can cause respiratory disease, synovitis, or result in a silent infection in chickens and turkeys. The importance of M. synoviae is well established in broilers but only a few studies have been conducted in layers. In the present study, the prevalence of M. synoviae in commercial layer flocks was estimated using ELISA. For this study, 19 commercial layer flocks were selected randomly from New South Wales and Queensland region of Australia from producers who were willing to participate in the survey. Sixty eggs per flocks were randomly collected, out of these 30 eggs were used for ELISA and remaining 30 eggs were used to estimate various egg shell quality parameters. Subsequently, association between the serological status of eggs for M. synoviae and egg shell quality was studied. In the flocks under study, seroprevalence of M. synoviae was found to be high at 69% (95% confidence interval (CI)=41.3-89.0). Statistical analysis showed an association between serological status for M. synoviae and egg quality parameters such as translucency, shell breaking strength, % shell reflectivity and shell deformation. On the other hand, there was no significant association between serological status for M. synoviae and other egg quality parameters such egg weight, egg shell weight, % egg shell or shell thickness.     

New intermittent lighting programme (the reading system) for laying pullets

1. Two intermittent lighting systems for laying hens are: the Biomittent system, using an asymmetric pattern of 0.25L:0.75D for 16 h followed by 8D, which entrains oviposition to 24 h cycles and, compared with standard lighting programmes, gives the same egg number and egg size but a smaller feed cost, and a symmetrical system (4[3L:3D]) which allows intervals between ovipositions to stretch, giving bigger eggs with thicker shells, but yielding fewer eggs and achieving no saving in food intake.

2. A new system was devised to combine the increased egg size and shell thickness, characteristic of symmetrical intermittent lighting programmes, with the reduction in food intake which is a feature of programmes that reduce total activity time. The pattern tested was 24(0.25L:0.75D).

3. The results of 2 trials showed that this new system gives about 2% fewer eggs than conventional (Step Up) or Biomittent lighting with a 2% increase in mean egg size and a 3% improvement in shell thickness at the end of the laying year. Feed consumption with the new system was similar to that under Biomittent lighting and 6% lower than that recorded for Step Up lighting.

4. Mortality was lower with the new system than with Step Up lighting, but not significantly so. From the evidence of other trials it is argued that intermittent lighting programmes which provide less than 8 h total illumination in 24 h generally reduce laying house mortality and may be regarded as beneficial to the welfare of the hen.     

Investigation of an outbreak of egg spoilage due to Pseudomonas spp.

Extract

Green rot in eggs is widely recognized as one of the principal causes of loss in the preservation of shell eggs. It arises from invasion of the shell contents by strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens which multiply in the albumen and elaborate the characteristic green pigment. The early stages of rotting cannot be detected in the ordinary candling by white light, but the green pigment shows strong fluorescence in ultra violet light. The yolk is also attacked and eventually the entire contents break down into a semi liquid mass with a characteristic putrid odour. At this stage the green colouration is not so obvious due to the admixture of yolk and white, and the resultant fall in pH.; the contents may then be of a yellowish green to greenish brown colour.     

Physical characteristics of intact and cracked eggs

1. Six egg samples, comprising equal numbers of intact and cracked eggs, were collected from three flocks of hybrid layers.

2. Cracks were classified according to type (hole, star or straight) and the weight, shape, shell colour and specific gravity of all the eggs were measured. Shell thickness and dry shell weight were also recorded for a maximum of 10 intact and 10 cracked eggs from each sample.

3. The largest proportion of cracks were holes.

4. Differences in mean egg weight and shape of intact and cracked eggs within each sample were inconsistent. Mean shell colour was darker for the intact brown eggs than for the cracked ones. For all the samples, mean egg specific gravity, shell thickness and dry shell weight were higher for the intact eggs. The difference in egg specific gravity was significant (P<0.05) for all samples.

5. Holes occurred in eggs of lower mean weight but with better quality shells than those in which star or straight cracks occurred.     

Dietary phosphorus supply, egg-shell deposition and plasma inorganic phosphorus in laying hens

1. In 2 experiments the effects of dietary phosphorus on relationships between plasma inorganic phosphorus concentration (Pi), shell and egg production and depletion states were measured in brown laying hens. 2. In a 12-week experiment dietary phosphorus concentrations from conventionally deficient (1.6 g non-phytate-phosphorus (PNP)/kg) to moderate excess (3.9 g PNP/kg) had little effect on egg and shell production, although there was evidence that plasma Pi concentration, when not influenced strongly by shell formation, reflected dietary phosphorus content. 3. Among birds at each dietary phosphorus concentration there was a negative linear relationship between shell weight of early eggs in the sequence and plasma Pi concentration. The relationship was apparently not affected by dietary phosphorus concentration. 4. Continued feeding of the deficient diet to 61 weeks of age did not have effects on body weight, egg and shell production, other than those associated with age, but plasma Pi and bone measurements indicated marginal phosphorus depletion. 5. In another experiment excessive dietary phosphorus (11.9 g PNP/kg) fed in a cross-over design caused small adverse effects on shell production, increased food intake and body weight and increased plasma Pi content, while there was no relationship between shell weight and plasma Pi concentration. 6. The results are consistent with an indirect effect of plasma phosphorus accumulation on shell formation, probably via an inhibitory effect on skeletal calcium release, in addition to any effect of excess dietary phosphorus on intestinal calcium availability. 7. Phosphorus requirement and status in the laying hen are complicated by the failure to recognise the contribution of digestible phytate-phosphorus to the available phosphorus supply.     

Egg shell strengh

The experiment was designed to provide more evidence of the reliability of laboratory tests used to assess shell strength by measuring their relationship to egg breakage in the field. It involved all eggs produced by 23 White Leghorn × Buff Rock pullets that were kept in battery cages for a period of 24 weeks.

Samples of eggs from each hen were subjected to four laboratory measurements, namely resistance to crushing by a hydraulic method, resistance to impact by the falling ball technique, specific gravity by the hydrometer method and shell weight per unit area. Correlations between these assessments of shell strength and the percentage of cracked eggs produced by each hen were highly significant.

All four laboratory tests, therefore, gave a fairly reliable indication of the probability of egg breakage in batteries. It was concluded that from a practical standpoint egg specific gravity was the best method used. In future work the recently developed test of shell deformation under load was considered worthy of comparison with specific gravity as an indicator of shell strength.     

Effects of egg weight on the egg quality,chick quality,and broiler performance at the later stages of production (week 60) in broiler breeders

The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of broiler breeder egg weight on egg quality, chick quality, and broiler performance using Hubbard Classic broiler breeder flock. Hatching eggs from a commercial broiler breeder flock (Hubbard classic strain) were obtained at the age of 60 wk and divided into 3 egg-weight categories, namely small, medium, and large. For this purpose, 930 eggs having weights 63.09 ± 0.21, 68.85 ± 0.23, and 74.81 ± 0.11g were divided into 3 egg categories labeled small, medium, and large respectively. We further divided these eggs into 2 categories, eggs for quality parameters and eggs for incubation and posthatch performance parameters. Eggs from the small egg category had greater proportion of the shell weight and more shell strength. Egg weight did not significantly affect the albumen and yolk weight percentage. Egg weight affected the shape index and specific gravity for which lower values were observed for large eggs. Egg weight positively affected the chick weight, chick yield, and chick length (P < 0.05) of both male and female chicks. Results of the body weight gain showed that effect of egg weight on the posthatch performance of chick diminishes with the age of broilers. Egg weight significantly affected the body weight gain of male and female chicks up to 3 wk of age. Egg weights did not significantly affect the feed intake and mortality of broiler. Different egg-weight categories significantly affected the feed conversion ratio of female chicks at wk 2 and 3 of age and did not affect the feed conversion of male and female chicks at the end of wk 5. In conclusion, egg weight positively affected the chick characteristics (e.g., chick weight, chick length) and did not affect the final live body weight, feed conversion ratio, feed intake, and mortality in broilers.     

Effect of production system and flock age on egg quality and total bacterial load in commercial laying hens

The shell of the egg is essential in providing shape to the egg and ensuring safe packaging of the internal contents; however, shell defects have been shown to increase the risk of microbial contamination of eggs. Eggs were collected from commercial cage and free-range flocks at the ages of 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, and 75 wk. From each collection per flock, 30 eggs were processed for the eggshell and egg internal quality determination, 30 eggs for cuticle estimation, 30 eggs for mammillary layer ultrastructural features scoring, and 60 eggs for egg microbial enumeration. Translucency score and shell reflectivity were significantly higher in free-range eggs and increased with flock age in both production systems. Egg weight, shell weight, percentage shell, shell thickness, albumen height, Haugh unit, and yolk color were higher for cage eggs. The amount of cuticle was higher in cage eggs and fluctuated with flock age in both production systems. For the mammillary layer ultrastructural variables, a significant effect of production system and flock age was observed for early fusion, Type A bodies, and Type B bodies, whereas aragonite, depression, erosion, and hole were rarely observed. Variability of mammillary cap size, the incidence of poor mammillary cap quality, incidence of late fusion, alignment, Type A bodies, Type B bodies, and cubic cone formation were greater in the free-range versus cage system and increased with flock age in both production systems. The incidence of confluence and early fusion were greater in cage eggs and decreased with age in both production systems. Significantly lower total microbial load was observed for cage compared with free-range eggs, but the overall bacterial load recorded in this study was low. It can be concluded that cage eggs were better in overall quality when directly compared with free-range eggs.     

Some observations on corrugated egg shells

In a group of birds of the same breed, those laying eggs with the thinnest egg shell membranes (mg/cm²) were the most likely to produce corrugated shells. Furthermore, in series of eggs from individual birds, an increase in the degree of corrugation of the shell was accompanied by a thinning of the shell membrane as well as an increase in egg weight. Given the presence of a thin membrane, the greater the weight of the egg the greater was the chance that it would have a corrugated shell.

Corrugations result from the deposition of shell on a corrugated membrane which is possibly caused by insufficient plumping of the egg or by the presence of weak areas in the membrane becoming distorted under pressure.     

Lathyrism in laying hens and increases in egg weight

The cause of the increased egg weight in hens with lathyrism was investigated by feeding laying birds with diets containing beta-aminopropionitrile, the toxic principle of certain legume seeds in the genus Lathyrus. There was a significant increase (P less than 0.01) in the amount of albumen in the egg owing to an increased formation of thin white. The water permeability of the shell membranes demonstrated an increased porosity and a loss of tensile strength which contributed not only to a high water uptake but also to abnormalities of the shape of eggs during 'plumping'. It was concluded that a defect in the shell membrane protein system alters the membrane's general properties and that the increased egg weight in lathyrism is a result of the defect.     

鸡蛋胆固醇含量测定方法比较研究

试验随机选取了中华绿蛋鸡产的绿壳蛋和依莎褐蛋鸡产的褐壳鸡蛋各20枚,采用邻苯二甲醛分光光度计比色法和气相色谱法,测定鸡蛋中胆固醇的含量,比较两种方法在测定鸡蛋胆固醇含量上的差异。结果表明,用邻苯二甲醛比色法测得褐壳蛋蛋黄胆固醇含量176．79mg／枚,浓度为13．35mg／g。用气相色谱法测得胆固醇含量142．74mg／枚,浓度为9．69mg／g,二种方法测定的结果差异显著（P〈0．05）。用邻苯二甲醛比色法测得绿壳蛋蛋黄胆固醇含量158．12mg／枚,浓度为10．65mg／g。用气相色谱法测得胆固醇含量128．70mg／枚,浓度为8．54mg／g,二种方法测定的结果差异显著（P〈0．05）。