The Relationship Between Egg Shell Thickness and Strength

THE strength of the egg shell is an important factor in egg quality, particularly in its relation to the transportation of eggs. There are probably a number of factors which influence the strength of the egg shell which are due to the structure of the egg itself. Such variables interfere with a proper interpretation of the effect of feeding, breeding, or management on the strength of egg shells. It is important, therefore, that a method of measuring egg shell strength be developed which reduces these variable factors or eliminates them from consideration. Romanoff (1929) reported on the relationship between shell thickness and the breaking strength of egg shells. Later Stewart (1936), using the same egg-breaking apparatus, reported a coefficient of correlation of + .509 ± 0.028 between shell thickness and breaking strength. Morgan (1932) studied the relationship between the percentage of shell and the breaking strength of the egg. The . . .