4 – Table Egg Production

Question 1

Components of light to consider

Answer 1

• Light wavelength
• Light intensity
• *photoperiod length and distribution

Question 2

Photoperiodism

Answer 2

• Long vs. short day breeders
• Reason for photoperiodism=neonatal survive in the wild
• Synchronize and improve and maintain reproduction
  o *change light from a short day to a long day!
• Control of sexual mature

Question 3

What age is desired for sexual maturity?

Answer 3

• Intermediate age

Question 4

What happens if too early age at sexual maturity?

Answer 4

• Small eggs
• Lower rate of lay
• Increased prolapse

Question 5

What happens if too late age at sexual maturity?

Answer 5

• Fewer days to collect eggs

Question 6

What is the result with gradual changes to photoperiod?

Answer 6

• Gradual increase in maturity

Question 7

What is the result of abrupt changes to photoperiod?

Answer 7

• Faster change in maturity level!

Question 8

What are the 3 rules of thumb with lighting for laying hens?

Answer 8

1. Never increase photoperiod length during brooding and rearing
   a. Increase photoperiod beyond CRITICAL PHOTOPERIOD
   b. Increase at 17-18 weeks
2. Minimum of 12hrs of light required for maximum stimulation
   a. Maybe increase to 14hr day light at 22-24 weeks
3. Never decrease photoperiod length during egg production

Question 9

Brown hen egg production curve

Answer 9

• Peak production at 25 weeks of age and then stable decline
  o Till 68% when at 100 weeks of age (usually raise them till 75 weeks of age: 80% egg production)

Question 10

White hen egg production curve

Answer 10

• *slightly better than browns=common strain to use in NA for egg production
• At 100 weeks of age=70%
• At 75 weeks=well over 80%

Question 11

How does egg weight relate to the age of birds?

Answer 11

• Slowly increases as they reach the peak age
  o Levels off, but slight increase
  o NO decline

Question 12

What happens with egg shell quality with the age of the flock?

Answer 12

• more cracked eggs with age of flock
• 0.5% increase in % cracks per month of production
• *due to calcium deposits depleting as they age
  o Maybe supplement diet

Question 13

Storage of eggs on farm

Answer 13

• Storage time: 4-7 days (usually picked up within 1 day in SK)
• Temperature: 5-10 degree C
• Relative humidity: 70-80%
• *clean conditions

Question 14

What are the 5/6 egg processing ‘steps’?

Answer 14

• washing
• egg candling
• ultrasound
• sizing
• cartooning
• *grading

Question 15

Washing eggs

Answer 15

• High pH solution to eliminate bacteria
• All eggs washed=why we need to refrigerate our eggs in NA

Question 16

Egg candling

Answer 16

• Eliminate blood spots, meat spots, double yoked eggs, abnormal shapes
• Blood spot=from where the egg ‘pinched’ off during ovulation
• *go to ‘breaker’ plant=grade B or C eggs
  o Need to pasteurize grade C eggs (bacterial contamination from cracks)

Question 17

Ultrasound

Answer 17

• Detect cracked eggs

Question 18

Sizing

Answer 18

• Each egg weighed and sorted

Question 19

Grading involves looking at

Answer 19

• Shell quality
• Interior quality (yolk and albumen)
• *egg candled

Question 20

What are the 3 characteristics looked at with shell quality?

Answer 20

• Cleanliness
• Soundness
• Shape

Question 21

What are the changes that happen with interior quality due to storage?

Answer 21

• Albumen thins (mucin degradation)
• Moisture loss
• Loss of CO
• Yolk enlargement

Question 22

What happens with moisture loss during storage?

Answer 22

• Decreased egg weight and increased size of air cell

Question 23

What happens with loss of CO during storage?

Answer 23

• Change in egg pH (7.6-9.5)
• Loss in flavour

Question 24

What happen with yolk enlargement during storage?

Answer 24

• Larger and more fragile yolk
• *larger=usually more fragile

Question 25

Albumen quality

Answer 25

• Lower quality=spreads more and flatter albumen (ex. 1.5mm)
• High quality=spreads less and increased albumen HEIGHT!
• *younger the birds are=higher the albumen height

Question 26

Egg candling to determine interior quality (grading)

Answer 26

• Air cell size
• Distinctiveness of yolk
• Shells
• Abnormal contents: blood spots, meat spots, double yoked, etc.
• *machine=very fast!
• *grade A=grocery store

Question 27

What all needs to be record keep?

Answer 27

• Mortality
• Performance (egg, growth, market weight, primary breeder standards)
• Feed and water consumption
• Barn environmental conditions
• Egg quality (size, % undergrads, % cracks)
• Percent condemnations
• Fertility and hatchability