Explore all the information onPoultry egg quality
Egg quality defines those characteristics of an egg that affect consumer acceptability and preference. Components of quality include shell quality and interior egg quality for shell eggs, and interior egg quality for further processed eggs. The quality of the egg once it is laid cannot be improved. Hence, its maintenance is mostly a preventive process. Egg quality is influenced by several factors including rearing, temperature, humidity, handling, storage, and egg age. Shell quality: There are five major classes of shell defects: integrity, texture, shape, color, and cleanliness. Internal egg quality involves functional, aesthetic and microbiological properties of the egg yolk and albumen. The proportions of components for fresh egg are 32% yolk, 58% albumen and 10% shell. Regarding exterior egg quality, the shell of each egg should be smooth, clean and free of cracks. The eggs should be uniform in colour, size and shape.
After 15 years of producing brown eggs, UK free range egg farmer Alex Woollam took the decision to switch to white egg production and thanks in no small part to Hy-Line’s W-80, it’s a decision he hasn’t regretted. Alex, who has 94,000 layers, explains why he made the change to white. “Looking at the data on the white birds it was clear they were prolific layers with an extended laying cycle, very feed efficient and easy to manage. The ease of management was a...
As the global egg industry moves steadily toward cage-free production, ensuring a successful transition from rearing to laying is more critical than ever. Hy-Line pullets raised in environments that prepare them for the complexities of cage-free layer systems are far more likely to meet their full genetic...
I. INTRODUCTION Modern broilers grow 5 times faster on 40% less feed than they did 60 years ago (Zuidhof et al., 2014). Because high body weight (BW) correlates negatively with reproduction and health (Decuypere et al., 2010), the severity of broiler breeder feed restriction increases every year relative to broiler growth potential. This intensifies competition for feed, resulting in unequal distribution of feed and poor flock uniformity. Achieving and maintaining high flock...
I. INTRODUCTION Body composition, more specifically breast muscle and the abdominal fat pad, at the end of the rearing period of breeder pullets seems to play an important role in egg production, lay persistency, and fertility in the laying phase. Management of feeding by changing feed allowance or nutrient composition of the breeder pullet’s diet during rearing can alter body composition at the onset of lay. Adequate dietary protein is necessary to have optimum ovary...
Dr. Luke Kramer, Geneticist at Hy-Line International, explores how targeted genetic selection can improve both the production performance and overall welfare of Hy-Line White laying hens. ...
I. INTRODUCTION The significance of vitamin K (VK) to human health, well-being and ageing is currently receiving worldwide attention. Beyond its role in coagulation, the importance of VK in bone health is well established. Other roles in cardiovascular disease, inflammatory response, neural and cognitive health are currently under investigation (Card et al., 2014). Vitamin K 1 (phylloquinone, VK 1 ), occurs naturally in Fresh, Leafy, Green, (FLG) plant...
1. Introduction It is well known that the major cost in poultry farming is feed, representing 70% of the total production costs [1]. In order to reduce this cost, the research has recently focused on exploring and evaluating new sources of raw materials from agricultural and industrial by-products for use as animal feed. Key benefits of this practice include lower dependence of animal production on human consumed seeds and reduced waste management costs [2]. Around 2.1 million tons...
Extensive research has investigated the effects of production systems on egg quality; however, confounding problems exist with many of the experimental designs (Chung and Lee, 2014). Insufficient consideration is given to the influence of genotype, hen age, ambient temperature and stress on egg quality. Eliminating the ambiguity created by these effects is crucial when evaluating the effect of production system on egg quality. The present study aims to identify limits to the hen age, so that...
I. INTRODUCTION In Australia, the National Animal Welfare Research Development and Extension (RD&E) Strategy is a cross-sectoral strategy under the National Agricultural RD&E Framework. Each of the livestock industries in Australia, including the egg industry, is represented by this National Strategy, which is active in identifying the key areas of importance for the welfare of livestock. Over the last four to five years, in particular, this National Strategy has consistently...
A recent study suggests that artificial Ascardia galli infection has no effect on performance and egg quality of free-range laying hens from the point of lay until 40 weeks of age (Sharma et al., 2017). However, the lower hepatic lipid reserve of infected hens observed in the same study indicated the potential for A. galli to affect production at a later stage. In this study, serum and yolk antibody levels of A. galli were measured to investigate the immune response to natural infection in...
INTRODUCTION Feed particle size is an often-overlooked aspect of poultry production. Producers should not assume that feed is of a uniform size and homogeneously mixed, or that the feed mill is providing the ideal mix of particles in a ration. Feed particles range in size from very fine to coarse, and different grinding methods will result in different particle size distributions. Differences in particle size within a ration can affect both the digestive system and the...
Naturally brooded domestic chicks spend a large proportion of time resting under and gaining warmth from their mother, spending multiple short bouts in relative darkness (Shimmura et al., 2010). In contrast, during rearing, commercial chicks experience one continuous light period each day. In this situation, behaviours become unsynchronised, with the potential for active chicks to disturb and direct feather pecks towards resting conspecifics (Riber et al., 2007; Gilani et al., 2012)....
I. INTRODUCTION Egg-associated Salmonella infection is a significant international public health problem. Internal contamination of eggs with S. Enteritidis has been the principal concern in North America and Europe, whereas external contamination with S. Typhimurium has been the predominant issue in Australia. Some strategies for controlling egg-borne Salmonella are designed to act with precision against epidemiologically important serovars, but others are applicable...
I. INTRODUCTION With the current genetic focus being on longer laying cycles, there is a need to look for new ways of improving calcium metabolism in laying birds which are prone to osteoporosis in the latter stages of lay (Bain et al, 2016). Calcium pidolate (a highly soluble, absorbable salt with excellent gastrointestinal tolerance) has been around for 10-15 years in the commercial sector of the egg industry. Existing evidence suggests that this supplement has beneficial effects...
I. INTRODUCTION Spotty Liver Disease (SLD) is characterized by the occurrence of multiple grey/white spots in the liver. It causes mortalities and reduction in egg output and is prevalent within the layer industry in Australia, especially within the free range sector of the industry (Grimes & Reece, 2011). The disease is less commonly found in barn and cage birds and parent stock (Scott, 2016). The recent identification of Campylobacter hepaticus, as the causative agent...
1. Introduction “Feed-food competition” was defined as “the tensions and trade-offs between two alternative uses for edible crops: direct consumption by humans versus feeding livestock” (1). However, feed-food competition includes the use of production resources, such as land, wild fish, and water, and labor, capital, and ecosystem services. The allocation of these resources between all their possible uses is often determined by which end use is most...
Lilong Chai (University of Georgia) discusses advantages and issues of cage-free poultry houses regarding pecking behavior, egg production, and dust bathing, among other aspects, in this Engormix interview. ...
1. Introduction The surface of eggshells can be contaminated by bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp., which may account for 84% and 77% of the present Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively [1]. In addition to antibiotic resistance [1], Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp. (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus) may also be associated with the death of chicken embryos [2,3]. Eggs appear to be quite vulnerable to several threats, even biofilm...
Author details: 1 Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea; 2 Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health, Asia Pacific, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Introduction Nutrient supply to meet requirements accounts for the largest share of poultry production costs, within which protein (i.e., AA) supply makes up the second largest portion. The feeding of reduced protein diets is targeted to...
Thomas Dixon (Hy-Line) discusses the cost and price increase that comes with this change, and how to adapt to it, during the Avicolas and Porcinos event in Buenos Aires, Argentina....