Studies of Variation in Initial Quality of Chicken Eggs

BECAUSE a large proportion of market eggs are bought and sold on a grade basis, it is pertinent to know the factors affecting quality in eggs. Much has been accomplished toward this end in the area of maintaining interior quality once the egg is laid. Somewhat less has been achieved regarding the variation in initial interior quality first demonstrated by such investigators as Sharp (1934), Van Wagenen and Wilgus (1935), and Heiman and Carver (1936). It is generally agreed that the broken-out quality of an egg is associated with the proportionate amount and viscosity of the thick white. Several studies have indicated that initial interior quality of eggs is to some extent subject to genetic control (Holst and Almquist, 1931; Knox and Godfrey, 1934, 1938; Lorenz et al., 1934; and Munro, 1938). Lorenz and Taylor (1940) and Knox and Godfrey (1940) through selection and breeding programs were able to develop …