Cuticle,shell porosity and water uptake through hens’ eggshells

1. There was no correlation between water uptake by a warm egg (37 °C) immersed in iced water and the shell's porosity as measured by water vapour conductance.

2. Eggs lacking cuticle on the shell took up more water than those having cuticle. There was no correlation between water uptake and the water vapour conductance of cuticle‐less eggshells.

3. In general there was no correlation between the amount of water taken up by an egg and the weight of cuticle on its shell. With some eggs there was an association between water uptake and the extent of fissuring of the cuticle.

4. It is postulated that the pore canals impede water flow such that osmotic forces acting across the shell membranes do not influence water uptake by eggs.