Observed Egg Shell Damage in a Mechanical Gathering System

INTRODUCTION IT HAS been estimated that cracked or checked eggs account for 3 to 5 percent of all eggs produced in commercial production units (Forsythe, 1966). A combination of adverse factors such as older aged birds and hand gathering in wire baskets has been shown by Michigan workers (Toleman et al., 1964) to result in 5.7 percent cracked eggs at the production level. This same study indicated that the lowest level of checks, 0.6 percent occurred in eggs from young flocks collected on molded fiberboard trays from rollaway nests. These estimates and studies were made before the general use of mechanical gathering for large commercial operations. The loss in value due to cracked shells has been estimated at from five to seven cents per dozen. Thus, the dollar loss in the U.S. may be in the range of three to four million dollars for every one percent of damaged eggs,…