• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2008

Broken eggs not only cause the economic loss in the egg producing industry, but also may not be good for the consumer's health. In order to identify the causes of eggshell breakage in laying hen houses, analyses on the status of eggshell breakage in the step of egg conveyer system of the laying hen house were conducted. The survey of eggshell breakage rate was implemented by four different stages egg conveying system. In the results, the breakage rate showed 4.7% in the egg collection belt, 2.5% in the egg elevator, 1.7% in the egg grading system and 0.9% in the egg conveyor belt. In particular, to Hy-line Brown variety, as the hens' raising week old increased, the breakage rate of eggshell increased while the strength of eggshell decreased. In the regression analysis between the breakage rate of eggshell and the strength of eggshell, the coefficient of determination ($R^2$) by the test of significance was computed as 0.7, therefore the changes of the strength of eggshell affects the breakage rate of eggshell. However, between the strength of eggshell and thickness of egg shell, and between the strength of eggshell and strain of eggshell, there was no significant difference detected in the regression analysis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.609-624
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to get a comprehensive understanding of how genes in chicken shell gland modulate eggshell strength at the early stage of active calcification. Four 32-week old of purebred Xianju hens with consistent high or low shell breakage strength were grouped into two pairs. Using Affymetrix Chicken Array, a whole-transcriptome analysis was performed on hen's shell gland at 9 h post oviposition. Gene ontology enrichment analysis for differentially expressed (DE) transcripts was performed using the web-based GOEAST, and the validation of DE-transcripts was tested by qRT-PCR. 1,195 DE-transcripts, corresponding to 941 unique genes were identified in hens with strong eggshell compared to weak shell hens. According to gene ontology annotations, there are 77 DE-transcripts encoding ion transporters and secreted extracellular matrix proteins, and at least 26 DE-transcripts related to carbohydrate metabolism or post-translation glycosylation modification; furthermore, there are 88 signaling DE-transcripts. GO term enrichment analysis suggests that some DE-transcripts mediate reproductive hormones or neurotransmitters to affect eggshell quality through a complex suite of biophysical processes. These results reveal some candidate genes involved with eggshell strength at the early stage of active calcification which may facilitate our understanding of regulating mechanisms of eggshell quality.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.115-132
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• 2000

Eggshell strength and eggshell pigmentation are described in this paper since these are needed for quality egg production. A strong eggshell is determined by the components of the shell (cuticle, true shell and membranes) as well as the proper function of the gastrointestinal tract, the shell gland, the Kidneys and the endocrine system. When the puller reaches sexual maturity, the medullary bone must be ready for the laying hen at the peak egg shell formation. The amount of calcium in the layer diet, sources of calcium feed, the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the layer diet, adequate levels of vitamin D and the dietary mineral (electrolyte) balance in the body fluid are important factors along with the levels of other nutrients. Biological, environmental and managerial factors such as the age of laying flock, temperature and humidity of the hen house, bird strain, disease, egg collection through transportation and others and influence the shell breakage at various stages of movement of the eggs from the producer to the consumer. The pigments present in eggshells are protoporphyrin-Ⅸ, biliverdin-Ⅸ and its zinc chelate and occasional traces of coproporphyrin-Ⅲ. However, there are several causes of changes in eggshell pigmentation such as the age of hen, disease, drugs and surface defects due to abnormal post-cuticular deposits.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 1994

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of shperical surface of eggs tray and eggshell on breaking strength of eggs for the development of a new egg tray design to prevent eggshell breakage. The results obtained were as follows: 1. According to the results obtained from investigation on the types of 22 egg trays collected from 9 countries(USA, Italy, France, Thailand, Japan, Netherland, Russia, Korea and Swiss), all egg trays except those from Korea were different in their types. 2. According to the determination of breaking strength for 4 pilot egg trays, type B and D were high in breaking strength. Trays B and D which would fit with the spherical surface of egg so that they could increase breaking strength were most recommendable. Breaking strength was not increased even though egg tray was strong. Thickness of eggshell of experimental eggs used in this experiment have no significance (P>0.05). 3. When eggs are packed and transported in egg tray, the breaking strength will depend on how much spherical surface of egg are covered by the spherical surface of the egg tray. Therefore, the inner spherical surface of egg tray must fit to the outer spherical surface of eggs when the egg tray is manufactured. 4. At present, there is only one type of egg tray being used in Korea despite the various egg sizes. In order to minimize the eggshell breakage, however, proper sizes or types of egg trays should be developed for each different categories of the egg size.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2023

This study was conducted to analyze the correlation between egg breakage rate and cumulative external forces on eggs during the egg transfer system in 12 commercial layers farms. The commercially available electronic egg device was used to detect the external forces on eggs during egg collection systems. In addition, egg breakage rate per farm was collected. It was found that the external force on eggs were greater in the order of washer and dryer connection part, conveyor connection part, transfer, sorter, collecting elevator, packer, egg transfer connection part, and egg tray. A positive relationship between the external forces on eggs during egg transit system and the incidence of cracked eggs per farm was noted. The external forces on eggs varied from 5G to 38G depending on the location and the egg breakage rate ranged from 3.2 to 14.5% per farm. Although efforts to produce eggs with high eggshell quality are considered important, extra care should be made to lower the external forces on eggs during the egg transfer system from laying house to egg packing center.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.1013-1020
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• 2017

Objective: Stripe marks, which occasionally occur on the shell, do not cause breakage to the shell and shell membranes of eggs. This study investigated the quality of intact eggs (IEs), minor stripe-marked eggs (MEs), severe stripe-marked eggs (SEs), and cracked eggs (CEs) during 3-week storage at $25^{\circ}C$. Methods: Shell eggs were collected the day after being laid and were washed. Among them, eggs without any visual cracks or stripe marks on the shells were evaluated as IEs by the plant employees using candling in a darkened egg storage room; the remaining eggs exhibited some eggshell defects. At day 3, the eggs were further categorized into IEs, MEs, SEs, CEs, and broken eggs (BEs) on the basis of the description given. Except BEs, which were discarded, the remaining eggs were stored at $25^{\circ}C$ (approximate relative humidity 50%) and then analyzed. Results: Stripe marks were observed primarily within the first 3 days after washing. At day 3, CEs had significantly (p<0.05) lower Haugh unit values, but all eggs had grades AA or A, according to the United States Department of Agriculture standard. As storage time increased, differences in egg quality between groups were more obvious. IEs had the highest eggshell breaking strength. During storage, the total plate counts and pathogens, namely Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp., were not detectable in the internal content of IEs and SEs. Conclusion: In conclusion, cracks degraded egg quality severely and minor stripe marks only slightly influenced the egg quality.