Effect of Sodium Ascorbate on Egg Shell Thickness During Hot Weather

HEYWANG and Kemmerer (1955) reported that supplementing an all-mash laying diet with 454 mg. per pound of ascorbic acid did not improve shell quality, as measured by the ratio of dried shell weight to whole egg weight. The data were obtained during two summers under uncontrolled ambient temperatures with average maximums of 101 and 104 and average means of 90 and 91 degrees F. Thornton and Moreng (1958), however, reported that ascorbic acid at levels of 5, 10, and 20 mg. and sodium ascorbate at a level of 20 mg. per pound of diet had a favorable influence on shell thickness and strength under both “moderate” and “high” environmental temperatures. In another study, Thornton and Moreng (1959) found that shell thickness and strength were improved during “cool” and “warm” ambient temperatures when the diet was supplemented with 10 mg. ascorbic acid per pound of diet. In their 1958 report, Thornton…