The Effect of Nicarbazin on Egg Production and Egg Quality

DURING the winter of 1956 several field cases were reported to the Experiment Station of flocks of hens in which a large percentage of the freshly laid eggs showed abnormalities of the yolk. The yolks seen in these field cases and subsequently produced experimentally were blemished by a combination of translucent and opaque areas with the result that the color of the yolk surface was not uniform. In many eggs, whitish-yellow “curdled” areas were evident, and in severe cases the yolk had a brownish-orange color and was streaked. These yolks were apparently similar to those described by Jeffery (1945). The studies reported here were undertaken to determine the possible cause of the yolk damage observed in the field cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS During the experiments described below, eggs laid the previous day were broken out on a glass plate supported between mirrors so that all the surfaces of the yolk . . .