The Pseudomonas Spoilage of Eggs Laid by Individual Hens

WITH increasing production of eggs, the consumer's demand for quality also increases. In preceding papers (Orel, Musil and Znojilova, 1956Orel, Musil and Znojilova, 1958) it has been shown that the quantity of the dense egg white and the strength of egg shell may be increased, and the rate of evaporation from the eggs may be decreased, by selection of hens according to the quality of their eggs. The quality of egg shells was evaluated by the specific gravity of the fresh laid eggs, a procedure whose repeatability estimates have been stated to be R = 0.33. The breeding quality of the hens, from the standpoint of shell quality, was evaluated by determining the specific gravity of at least ten eggs laid in sequence. Poultry production is dependent on the artificial incubation of eggs. Svensson (1957), studying the relationship of the specific gravity of fresh laid eggs to their hatchability, showed that eggs with …