The effect of management practices on eggshell cleanliness, bacteria levels, and cuticle deposition in pastured poultry

Abstract

Small-scale egg production is a growing industry in New England. However, foodborne illness risk exists from small-scale pastured eggs due to lack of guidelines for safe handling and management practices. A survey was distributed to backyard poultry owners and producers in the Northeast and indicated a variety of management practices were used. Based on these results, we developed a set of experiments to determine if these management practices influenced eggshell bacteria levels and cuticle deposition. We hypothesized that the manure level (ML) of the eggs and management practices will affect both the total bacterial levels (measured in relative light units = RLU) and the cuticle deposition (CD) of the eggshell. The management practices tested were nest box type (rollaway and conventional style), nest box location (mounted vs floor level access), nesting substrate (straw, shavings and ​​AstroTurf® Nest Pads), and time/frequency of egg collection. The CD experiments involved nest box type and nest substrate management practices only. In conclusion, management practices that minimize manure levels on eggs, like time of egg collection as found in this study, can help to maintain lower eggshell bacteria levels to reduce food safety risk.