The Extent of Uncollected Eggs Due to Inadequate Shell

Experiments were conducted to determine the extent of uncollectable egg production in a commercial-type egg operation. The influence of bird age, strain of bird and environmental conditions on the production of eggs were also determined. Sheets of metal were hung 30 cm. beneath the cages of 6,652 birds from a population of three quarter million hens 8,11, 14 and 17 months of age during the summer or winter. To obtain a 24-hour sample, eggs were collected between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. and at 2-hour intervals between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. All birds were caged 4 birds per cage in an open-type house and fed a commercial corn-soy diet. The results indicate that uncollectable eggs (shell-less, ultra-thin and thin-shell) are laid by pullets first coming into lay and the incidence increases as the age of the bird increases. The temperature or season of the year had little effect on the extent of uncollectable egg production. During a 24-hour period, production of uncollectable eggs peaked when hard-shell egg production peaked. Approximately one-half of the uncollected eggs were shell-less and one-half had some shell. Uncollectable eggs were not peculiar to one strain. It was concluded that the decline in production as the hen ages is not as great as indicated by production records but that the shell quality problem is much more severe with 4.77% of all eggs laid being uncollected.