Improving Egg Quality Through Michigan R.O.P Breeders—A Progress Report

INTERIOR egg quality is an economic characteristic often overlooked in the selection of breeding stock. For many years, breeders have selected for increased numbers of eggs, increased size of eggs, uniformity of shape, uniformity of shell color and apparent shell strength. These are obvious measurable economic egg characteristics which can be observed readily, and selection for these desirable traits has resulted in the greatest returns to producers of market eggs. A number of egg handlers have expressed the opinion that interior quality of eggs purchased from producers has declined in the past few years (Benjamin, 1951). One of the factors contributing to this decline was reported as a lack of breeding effort. Any concentrated effort on the part of breeders must have some economic reward. In the case of interior egg quality the reward should be fewer blood and meat spots and better albumen quality, thereby increasing the average price …