Albumen Ratio Research Articles

The change of albumen quality during the laying cycle and its potential physiological and molecular basis of laying hens

To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms that impact variability in albumen quality of laying hens from the peak of lay to the late production phase. A 60-week study was conducted on a cohort of 20,000 Hy-Line Brown laying hens from 20 to 80 weeks old. Before commencement at 20 weeks, the 10-week-old hens were acclimatized for ten weeks. This study examined changes in albumen quality, serum, and liver antioxidant capacity, magnum morphology, and expression of albumen-protein-related genes in the magnum. To reduce sampling error, we collected eggs (n=90) from pre-determined cages at every sampling point (5-week intervals), and 8 hens were selected at 10-week intervals for blood and tissue collection. Our findings revealed that age significantly affected most evaluated parameters. Albumen gel properties, including hardness, gumminess, and chewiness, increased significantly with age (P < 0.05). With the increasing of hens' age from 20 to 80 weeks, the albumen proportion of eggs was decreased, but eggshell proportion, yolk proportion, thick albumen proportion, thick to thin ratio, thick albumen solid content, albumen height, Haugh units, and yolk color were increased and then decreased (P < 0.05). Compared to hens aged 20-60 weeks, the hens (70-80 weeks) had significantly reduced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and glutathione levels (GSH) in the liver and lower serum TAC and superoxide dismutase levels (SOD) (P < 0.05). The magnum mucosal folds were highest in 40-60 weeks-old hens, and the luminal diameter increased with age (P < 0.05). In the magnum, the mRNA expression levels for OVA, CPE, and NUP205 increased significantly between 30 and 40 weeks, while FBN1 expression was higher between 30 and 50 weeks (P < 0.05). At 70-80 weeks, the expression of BRCA2 was significantly downregulated (P < 0.05). Albumen height, thick albumen proportion with protein secretion-related genes, enhanced antioxidant function, and luminal diameter correlated positively. However, the thick-to-thin albumen ratio negatively correlated with BRCA2, downregulated in aged laying hens. We used principal component and cluster analysis to deduce albumen quality changes during three phases: 25-35, 40-55, and 60-80 weeks. The decline in albumen quality in aging hens is linked with decreased antioxidant capacity, magnum health, and downregulation of key genes involved in protein synthesis and secretion. These findings emphasize critical albumen quality changes in laying hens and suggest molecular pathways underlying age-related albumen quality alterations.

Association of Different Body Sizes and Egg Quality Characteristics in White Leghorn Chicken Breed of South Africa

Egg quality could influence the price of the table and hatching eggs. However, the effects of hen’s live body weight on egg characteristics are poorly understood. The present study evaluated the influence of body weight (BW) on egg characteristics, such as egg width (EWD), shell weight (SW), egg length (EL), albumen weight (AW), yolk weight (YW), shell surface index (SI), albumen ratio (AR), shell ratio (SR), and yolk ratio (YR) of White Leghorn chicken. A total of 100 White Leghorn chickens at 30 weeks of age were used in the current study of which 300 eggs were collected. Live body weight was classified into three groups namely, small (≤ 195g), medium (196-220g), and large (≥ 221g). The results revealed that the White Leghorn layer’s live body weight was positively influenced by the eggshell index and egg length. Additionally, the results indicated that body weight did not affect EW, SW, EWD, SR, YW, AW, AR, and YR. In conclusion, the live body weight influences egg length and shell index in the White Leghorn chicken breed.

Effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal on Local Guinea Fowl Breeder Hens Performance, Egg Quality, and Blood Parameters

Breeding local guinea fowl has the potential to address protein malnutrition and alleviate poverty in West African countries. The current study aimed to examine the effects of incorporating Moringa oleifera leaf meal into the diet on hematology and biochemical parameters as well as the productive performance of local guinea fowl breeders in Togo. Thus, 512 local guinea fowls (22 weeks of age with an average weight of 1176.7 ± 2.9 g), comprising 384 females and 128 males, were examined for 31 weeks. The fowls were randomly assigned to four dietary groups, namely M0, M1, M2, and M3 containing 0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% of Moringa oleifera leaf meal in diets, respectively. Each group had 4 replicates of 32 fowls. During the study, feed intake, body weight, egg-laying rate, and feed conversion ratio were weekly recorded. Blood samples for hematology and biochemical analysis were taken from 12 females (3/replicate) at 34 and 50 weeks of age. Eggs were collected for the quality evaluation. Results showed that feed intake was comparable across all groups during the rearing period (23 to 33 weeks of age). However, it significantly decreased in fowls of the M2 and M3 during the laying period (34 to 50 weeks of age). The live weight of fowls in M3 was significantly higher than other groups before the laying period. The egg production, yolk ratio, and shell ratio of the birds in the M1 were like that of M0 and higher than that of M2 and M3. The feed conversion ratio was not significantly different between groups during the laying period. However, the albumen ratio and haugh unit were improved by feeding Moringa leaves especially at level 1.5%. The level of white blood cells and lymphocytes decreased by feeding the Moringa leaves at 1%. Neutrophils and platelet levels were comparable across groups. Total proteins, albumin, and transaminases increased in Moringa groups (M1, M2, M3), especially in M3. It was concluded that the use of Moringa oleifera leaves at 0.5% improved egg-laying performance in local guinea fowl. Moreover, 1% and 1.5% of incorporation improved the quality of eggs. Keywords: Blood parameter, Breeder, Guinea fowl, Egg quality, Moringa oleifera

Egg Quality Parameters Evaluation of Indigenous and Sasso Chicken in Sidama Region, Ethiopia

A study was conducted at Aleta Wondo district of Sidama Region to evaluate quality parameters of eggs collected from indigenous and Sasso chickens reared under a traditional management system. About 100 eggs from each chicken type were collected from households who keep indigenous or Sasso chicken. Eggs were transported to Hawassa university poultry farm for quality parameters analysis. External and internal egg quality analysis was done according to laboratory procedure. Collected data was analyzed using SAS (Version 9.0). Results indicated that eggs collected from Sasso chicken showed superiority over indigenous chicken’s eggs for egg weight, egg length, egg width, shell weight, shell thickness and surface area. There is no significant difference on shape index and shell percentage of eggs collected from indigenous and Sasso chickens. Shape index recorded was 72.66 and 74.04 for indigenous and Sasso chickens respectively. Albumen weight was statistically higher for eggs collected from Sasso chickens (P&lt;0.0001). Eggs from indigenous chickens have superiority over Sasso’s eggs for yolk ratio, Haugh Unit and yolk albumen ratio. However, there is no significant variation on albumen height, yolk weight, yolk height, yolk color, yolk diameter and yolk index. It can be concluded that Sasso chicken produce heavier eggs than indigenous chicken. Yolk related parameters are similar for indigenous and Sasso chicken eggs produced at traditional management system.

Comparative Study of Egg Quality Traits of Sasso Chicken Breed under Different Management Systems and Phenotypic Correlation of Egg Parameters in Ethiopia

This study was conducted to evaluate the egg quality traits of Sasso chicken breed under different managements. For the experiment 160 fresh eggs form differently managed Sasso chickens (100 from on-station and 60 from on-farm) were randomly taken. The fresh eggs collected from farmers in Yirgalem were brought to Hawassa University poultry farm for quality measurement and the eggs collected from poultry farm of College of Agriculture in Hawassa University were separately determined. The recorded data was analyzed using SAS (ver. 9.4). Management system difference has a significant influence on more than half of studied external traits such as egg weight, egg length, egg width, shell thickness and egg surface area. The Sasso chickens managed under intensive system had significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher mean egg weight (59.0g), egg length (57.5mm), egg width (42.2mm) and egg surface area (84.7mm2) than the same chicken breed reared under farmers management system. There was a significant difference in albumen weight, albumen height, yolk height, albumen ratio, yolk index, yolk albumen ratio and Hough unit for the eggs collected from the Sasso chickens under different management system. Egg weight has a highly significant and strong positive (p&lt;.0001) phenotypic correlation with egg surface area (0.99), egg length (0.65), egg width (0.72) and shell weight (0.52). Albumen weight has significant correlation with all the studied internal egg quality parameters. It has the negative correlation with yolk ratio (-0.14) and yolk albumen ratio (-0.69). There was a variation for egg quality traits of Sasso chicken in different management systems where the on-station management system is better.

Characterization in the Egg Quality of Three Species of Phasianidae Birds

Rock partridge (Alectoris graeca), Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), and Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) are three poultry species from the Phasianidae family birds that are kept for meat and egg production in the Republic of Turkey. This research was carried out to characterize the egg quality of Rock partridge (RP), Common pheasant (CP), and Japanese quail (JQ). The eggs parameter of egg weight (EW), shape index (SI), yolk index (YI), albumen index (AI), shell weight (SW), haugh unit (HU), yolk weight (YW), albumen weight (AW), yolk ratio (YR), albumen ratio (AR) and shell ratio (SR) were measured for data analysis. A total of 372 eggs, including 100 eggs of partridges, 200 eggs of pheasant, and 72 eggs of quail were used in this study. A Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were used in this study to characterize three different types of eggs using SPSS. 16.0 package. The results showed that nine egg parameters of AR, YI, SI, YW, AW, YR, AI, HU, and SR are identified as discriminant variables for three egg types. The results showed that the canonical correlation (R) value in this study was high, i.e., 0.98 (Function 1) and 0.79 (Function 2). The Mahalonobis distance (D2) in this study ranged from 15.28 (RP - CP) to 27.94 (CP - JQ). In conclusion, the Phasianidae poultries in this study have different egg quality traits and can be used as the species marker.

The effect of lutein on egg component

In this study, the composition of chicken eggs from diets with various lutein levels was examined. This study involved a total of 120 laying hens. Treatments included lutein-free rations and lutein concentrations of 20, 40, 60, and 80 ppm. Each treatment was applied a total of eight times. Chickens are kept in cages with access to feeding and drinking areas. The analysis of the research data was conducted utilizing a completely random design. The parameters that were measured were the egg’s weight, its yolk, and its albumen. The components of eggs fed various dietary levels of lutein from marigold extract had not been significant (P>0.05) on all egg components stored for one day. However, the treatment had a significant impact (P<0.05) on the albumen index stored for 14 days, and the yolk to albumen ratio and albumen index for eggs stored for 21 days. This study concludes that for optimum albumen weight and index and the ratio of yolk and albumen stored for 14 and 21 days, a dose of 20 and 40 ppm in the diets is sufficient.

Dietary supplementation with 2-hydroxy-4-methyl(thio) butanoic acid and DL-methionine improves productive performance, egg quality and redox status of commercial laying ducks.

This experiment aimed to study the effects of supplemental methionine sources, 2-hydroxy-4 methyl(thio) butanoic acid (HMTBa) and DL-Methionine (DL-Met), on productive performance, egg quality, and redox status of laying ducks. A total of 792 healthy 25-wk-old Longyan laying ducks with similar body weights were randomly allotted to 11 treatment groups. Each treatment group had 6 replicates of 12 ducks. The trial lasted for 16wk. Ducks were fed a basal deficient diet (Met: 0.24%; Met+Cys: 0.51%) or supplemented with DL-Met or HMTBa at 0.05%, 0.12%, 0.19%, 0.26%, and 0.33% of diet, respectively. Compared with the basal diet, supplementation with either DL-Met or HMTBa increased the average egg weight, egg mass, and decreased feed to egg ratio during the whole trial period (P<0.05). Albumen weight and its ratio to total egg weight were increased, but yolk and shell ratio, albumen height, Haugh unit and shell breaking strength were decreased (P<0.05). Dietary DL-Met or HMTBa supplementation increased taurine, methionine, leucine, tryptophan and arginine content, and decreased serine and lysine content in plasma (P<0.05). The redox status of laying ducks was improved by enhancing the glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities, glutathione content and its ratio relative to glutathione (oxidized) content and decreasing malondialdehyde content and increasing mRNA expression of superoxide dismutase-1, glutathione peroxidase-1, hemeoxygenase-1 and nuclear factor-like 2 in liver and ileum with the supplementation of DL-Met or HMTBa (P<0.05). Liver health status measured by average area proportion lipid droplet was improved with supplementation of DL-Met or HMTBa (P<0.05). Villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio in the ileum and the ileal gene expression of tight junction protein and occludin were increased with DL-Met or HMTBa supplementation (P<0.05). Taken together, these results suggested that the efficacy of dietary supplementation of HMTBa was similar to DL-Met, and it ranged from 98% to 100% for productive performance and egg albumen ratio in laying ducks (25 to 41wk).

Comparative study of egg quality parameters of different breeds of peacock

ABSTRACT The current research work was conducted to compare the external and internal egg quality parameters of different breeds of peacock. For this purpose, 130 freshly laid eggs of 2 species and 11 breeds (n = 10 per breed) were obtained from captive breeding facilities. In Pavo muticus muticus, higher egg weight (106.57 ± 0.69), egg length (7.21 ± 0.01), egg width (5.31 ± 0.01), egg breadth (28.18 ± 0.01), and egg volume (100.84 ± 0.48) were recorded. However, higher egg shape index (80.16 ± 0.27) was noted in black shoulder, while higher egg surface area (263.8 ± 0.01) was found in Spalding purple. Significantly higher albumen diameter (11.02 ± 0.05), albumen weight (47.06 ± 0.24), albumen height (0.946 ± 0.02), albumen ratio (49.83 ± 0.13), yolk height (1.66 ± 0.01), yolk index (35.75 ± 0.13), and shell thickness (0.67 ± 0.00) were found in Pavo cristatus. Albumen pH (6.43 ± 0.01), yolk diameter (6.93 ± 0.04), yolk ratio (61.80 ± 0.87), and yolk weight (51.66 ± 0.34) were noted to be higher in Indian white. Higher shell weight (16.38 ± 0.42), shell ratio (17.004 ± 0.38), and Haugh unit (88.57 ± 0.84) were observed in Buford bronze pied. The study suggested that P.m. muticus and Pavo cristatus showed best external and internal egg quality traits as compared to other breeds. It further provided a reference and theoretical basis for artificial breeding, ecological protection, raising, and management of different breeds of peacocks.

Body Weight Performance, Egg Production and Egg Quality Trait of Lohmann Chicken Genotype in Wachemo University Poultry Farm under Intensive Management System

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate body weight performance, egg production and egg quality traits of Lohmann chicken genotype in Wachemo University.&#x0D; Methodology: For the experiment, the Lohmann layer chicken in the University farm was used and SAS ver 9.4 was used to analyze the data. Body weight and egg production progress were evaluated at different times. A total of 200 eggs (100 at the end of 1st month and 100 at the end of 3rd month of egg lay) were brought to Hawassa University poultry farm laboratory to assess the egg quality traits. For the data analysis, SAS (Ver. 9.4) was used.&#x0D; Results: The Lohmann chickens weighed 0.93kg at their entry to the university poultry farm and increased in to 1.34kg at end of first month of entry. In the farm, about 34.4%, 42.5% and 58.6% of the hens have laid egg until the end of first, second and third months of egg lay respectively; this indicates that the increasing trend of egg production of Lohmann chickens as age increase. Egg laying age difference has a significant effect (p&lt;0.05) on egg weight, egg length, egg width, shell thickness, egg surface area and shell ratio. There was a significant difference in yolk weight, yolk diameter, albumen ratio and yolk index for the eggs collected from the Lohmann chickens at different age. Egg weight has the strong and positive correlation with egg length (78.6%), egg width (84.7%) and egg surface area (99.8%). Albumen weight is more correlated with albumen ration (64.2%) positively and yolk albumen ration (65.6%) negatively.&#x0D; Conclusion: Poultry production could be influenced by many factors. Among the factors, age was evaluated in the current study; as age increased, the growth performance, egg production and egg quality traits improved.

Storage duration impacts on nutritional composition and quality of table eggs

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the duration of storage of ISA brown eggs at room temperature on the nutritional composition and quality of eggs. A total of one hundred and twenty (120) freshly laid eggs by 36 weeks old ISA brown layers were randomly collected and stored at room temperature for 21 days. On each sampling day (at week 0, week 1, week 2, and week 3 of storage), 30 eggs were broken to determine internal and external egg quality traits, proximate composition, and mineral profile. Collected data were subjected to statistical analysis. Duration of storage had a significant effect (p&lt;0.05) on egg traits, proximate components, and mineral profile except for egg shape index and shell thickness. The overall egg weight, egg length, egg width, shape index, shell weight, shell ratio, and shell thickness were 56.82g, 5.69mm, 4.43mm, 78.02, 7.45g, 13.11, and 0.28mm respectively, while yolk height, albumen height, yolk weight, albumen weight, albumen ratio, yolk ratio, and Haugh unit were 13.55mm, 4.97mm, 16.32g, 33.06g, 58.11, 28.82 and 67.50% respectively. The overall means for moisture, crude protein, ash, fat, and carbohydrate were 76.27%, 12.06%, and 1.83%, 4.62%, and 4.37% respectively. Most of the minerals increased in value as the eggs increased in age. The duration of storage of eggs affected the egg quality, proximate components, and mineral profile as these parameters determine acceptability by consumers. Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science 52 (1): 15-21, March 2023

TABLE EGG QUALITY AND NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION ASSESSEMENTS OF DIFFERENT BREEDS AND AGES OF LAYING HENS

Table eggs collected at random from one-hundred and fifty layers (75-FUNAAB-Alpha and 75- ISA brown) kept at Breeding Unit, Teaching and Research Farm, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa at 31st, 33rd, and 35th weeks (WK) of age were analyzed for internal and external characteristics within 24 hours of laying. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance to assess the effect of breed and age of the layers on egg quality. Breed had no significant effect (p &gt; 0.05) on the egg weight (Ewt), egg length (EL), shell weight (SW), shell ratio (SR), albumen weight (AW), albumen ratio (AR), yolk diameter (YD) and yolk height (YH) in all the ages considered. At WK 31 breed effect was observed (p &lt; 0.05) in egg width (EW), shell index (SI), yolk weight (YW), yolk ratio (YR), albumen height (AH) and haugh unit (HU), and higher values were observed in all the traits for ISA brown except yolk weight (YW) and yolk ratio (YR). Significant effect of breed (&lt; 0.05) was observed in HU and AH at WK33. Shell thickness (ST) and yolk index (YI) experienced breed effect at WK 35. Breed and age had no effect on nutritional compositions of eggs. It can be concluded that breed and layer's age do have effects on some egg quality parameters.

Effects of Storage Time on Ostrich Egg Quality

Egg quality is considered as both internal egg quality that focuses on the egg content and external egg quality that focuses on the eggshell. This study investigated the effect of storage time on ostrich egg quality. A total of 15 ostrich eggs were obtained from Dibete Ostrich Multiplication Unit and subjected to five storage periods (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days) at room temperature (18-25oC). The measured parameters were egg weight, egg length, egg width, yolk weight, albumen weight, albumen height, yolk height, shell weight, egg specific gravity (ESG), egg surface area, Haugh Unit (HU), egg shape index, albumen ratio, shell ratio, yolk ratio and weight of egg contents. Results showed that storage time did not influence egg weight for eggs stored for 0, 3, and 6 days. On the other hand, storage time significantly affected egg weight for eggs stored at 9 and 12 days. The albumin ratio for egg storage duration had no significant impact on eggs held for 0, 3, or 6 days. However, the albumen ratios of eggs held for 9 and 12 days were impacted by the storage period compared to those stored for 0, 3, and 6 days. The HU for the eggs stored for 0, 3, and 6 days was not affected by storage time. On the contrary, the HU for eggs stored for 9 and 12 days was significantly impacted by storage time as the HU decreased with the prolonged storage time, compared to those stored for 0, 3, and 6 days. The results of this study suggest that ostrich eggs should not be stored for more than 6 days at ambient temperature to avoid egg quality degradation. Keywords: Cuticle, Egg quality, Ostrich eggs, Storage time

Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid in broiler breeders and egg storage time on the fatty acid profile, lipid oxidation and internal egg quality

Context The need for the storage of fertile eggs is a reality in the poultry industry. At the same time, prolonged storage periods decrease the quality of egg components that are essential for embryo development, and can compromise hatchability and chick quality; thus, the high content of unsaturated fatty acids in embryo tissues increase the susceptibility to peroxidation. Aims The objective of this study was to evaluate the addition of cis-9, trans-11, trans-10 and cis-12 isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to the broiler-breeder diet and the storage time on the internal egg quality, composition and lipid oxidation. Methods In total, 22 000 Cobb female broiler breeders of 58 weeks of age were fed with diets containing 0 or 0.024% CLA and fertile eggs were stored 3, 6 or 9 days prior to incubation. In total, 6912 hatching eggs were used in a completely randomised experimental design in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement (CLA inclusion × egg storage time). At the end of each storage period, 30 eggs per dietary treatment were sampled to analyse yolk and albumen height, percentage and pH, yolk:albumen ratio, yolk diameter and index, Haugh unit (HU), yolk lipid oxidation, acidity and fatty acid profile. Key results The progression of storage negatively affected the internal quality of the eggs; however, inclusion of CLA minimised these effects up to Day 6, especially for yolk diameter, HU, height and albumen pH. The total lipid content was not affected by the dietary treatments; however, CLA inclusion resulted in a higher proportion of stearic acid and a lower concentration of linoleic acid in yolks. Conclusions The changes observed in fatty acid profile of the eggs may have favoured the reduction of lipid oxidation, as shown by the decrease in the acidity index and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) values at shorter storage periods. Implications The dietary addition of CLA to broiler breeders may be used to preserve the egg internal quality during a short-term storage period.

Effects of supplementation of inorganic trace elements with organic trace elements chelated with hydroxy methionine on laying performance, egg quality, blood micronutrients, antioxidant capacity and immune function of laying ducks

IntroductionThis study aimed to investigate the effects of organic trace elements chelated with hydroxy methionine (OTE-HM) in diets, which substituted inorganic trace elements, on laying performance, egg quality, blood microelement content, antioxidant capacity and immune function of laying ducks.MethodsA total of 300 healthy laying ducks at age of 30 wk were randomly divided into 5 treatments and 10 ducks per replicate. The treatments included a control group (CON) which was served with basal diet supplemented with 20 mg/kg Cu, 50 mg/kg Fe, 70 mg/kg Mn, and 70 mg/kg Zn in inorganic form, and 4 OTE-HM treated groups (OTE-HM25, OTE-HM50, OTE-HM75, OTE-HM100) which were served with basal diets supplemented with OTE-HM providing trace elements (combination of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the commercial levels, respectively.ResultsResults showed that substitution of inorganic trace elements with OTE-HM did not affect egg production, qualified egg rate, average egg weight, average daily egg mass, average daily feed intake, or feed per kg egg of laying ducks (P &amp;gt; 0.05). Dietary with OTE-HM did not influence eggshell strength, eggshell thickness, egg shape index, eggshell ratio, yolk ratio, albumen ratio, albumen height, and Haugh unit of the sampled eggs of ducks (P &amp;gt; 0.05), but increased the yolk color, compared with dietary with inorganic trace elements (P&amp;lt; 0.01). Moreover, the blood content of Cu of the laying ducks was significantly increased by OTE-HM compared with that in CON (P&amp;lt; 0.001), but the other elements in laying duck blood were not different among treatments (P &amp;gt; 0.05). OTE-HM (75% and 100%) significantly increased serum activities of glutathione peroxidase and Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase, and decreased serum content of malonaldehyde of laying ducks compared with those in CON (P&amp;lt; 0.05). OTE-HM (50%, 75%, and 100%) significantly increased the serum contents of immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A of laying ducks compared with those in CON (P&amp;lt; 0.05).DiscussionCollectively, replacing inorganic trace elements with 50% and 75% OTE-HM in diets did not influence the laying performance or egg quality, but improved trace element efficacy, antioxidant capacity and immune function of the laying ducks.

Effects of the breeder age on the egg yield and egg quality traits of Landes geese (Anser anser).

This study aimed to determine the effects of the breeder age on the egg yield and egg quality traits of Landes geese in the first egg production cycle. One hundred ninety-four Landes geese aged 48weeks were kept in the yard area throughout the egg production period. Egg number, egg weight, egg mass production, and goose-day egg production were significantly affected by the breeder age (p < 0.001). Breeder age affected the albumen index, yolk index, Haugh unit, albumen pH, yolk pH, and yolk color values. The albumen index, yolk index, and yolk color values were significantly higher at 55weeks of age compared to the other breeder ages (62 and 64weeks of age) (p < 0.05; p < 0.001). The shape index, albumen ratio, and yolk ratio were not significantly affected by the breeder age. There was a decrease in the shell thickness, albumen index, and yolk index as the egg production period progressed. Since the shell thickness, albumen index, and yolk index decreased with age, it is concluded that the egg quality of Landes geese may deteriorate with age.

Influence of free fatty acid content and degree of fat saturation in laying hen diets on egg quality, yolk fatty acid profile, and cholesterol content

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of dietary free fatty acid (FFA) content and the degree of saturation on egg quality, yolk fatty acid (FA) profile, and yolk cholesterol content. For a 15-wk period, a total of 144 laying hens (19-wk-old) were randomly assigned to 8 treatments arranged in a 2×4 factorial design, with 2 sources of crude oil (soybean oil and palm oil) and 4 levels of FFA (10, 20, 30, and 45%). The dietary treatments were achieved by progressively substituting the original oils with equivalent amounts of their corresponding acid oils (soybean acid oil and palm fatty acid distillate, respectively). No differences in ADFI or egg mass were found. However, dietary FFA reduced egg production (linear, P < 0.05) and increased the feed conversion ratio (linear, P < 0.05). Higher levels of FFA in soybean diets resulted in higher egg weight with higher albumen and yolk weights (linear, P < 0.01). Palm diets presented higher yolk:albumen ratio than soybean diets (P < 0.001), but the effect of FFA did not follow a linear trend. Hens fed soybean diets laid eggs with higher Haugh units (HU) than palm diets (P < 0.001), although increasing the dietary FFA% reduced the HU values in both (linear, P < 0.001). Palm diets enhanced shell quality with greater resistance to breakage, and higher dry matter and ash content than soybean diets (P < 0.05). No differences in egg chemical composition and yolk cholesterol content were found (P > 0.05). The saturation degree had a significant effect on all the analyzed yolk FA (P < 0.001) except for arachidonic acid (C20:4 n-6), whereas increasing the FFA content did not affect to a great extent. These results show that varying dietary FFA level did not affect egg quality and yolk composition as much as the dietary fat source did, supporting the use of acid oils and fatty acid distillates as fat ingredients for feed.

Effects of Egg's Weight on Egg Quality Traits of the Potchefstroom Koekoek Chicken Genotype

Egg is a reproduction tool for chickens and valuable food source for humans. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of egg weight (EW) on egg quality traits such as egg length (EL), egg diameter (ED), yolk weight (YW), albumen weight (AW), shell weight (SW), shell index (SI), yolk ratio (YR), albumen ratio (AR) and shell ratio (SR). Potchefstroom Koekoek layer genotype eggs (n = 200) were used. Pearson correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for analysis. Correlation results indicated that egg weight had a statistical significant correlation (P &lt; 0.05) with egg quality traits. Egg weight displayed a positive significant correlation with EL (0.82), AW (0.67) and SW (0.62), respectively. The findings suggest that EL, AW and SW might be used to improve EW of Potchefstroom Koekoek chicken genotype. ANOVA results showed that egg weight had a statistical significant difference (P &lt; 0.05) with egg quality traits except albumen ratio and yolk ratio (P &gt; 0.05). Moreover, the findings revealed that small eggs weight had a longer egg length, yolk weight, shell weight, shell ratio and albumen weight than medium and large eggs. Large eggs had a higher egg diameter and shell index.&#x0D; Keywords: Albumen weight, egg length, large egg, medium egg, small egg, shell weight

Phenotypic Correlations Between Egg Quality Traits Amid the Laying Phase of Broiler Breeder Hens

Summary In order to determine phenotypic correlations between the quality traits of eggs from 41-week-old broiler breeder hens (Cobb 500), a total of 105 eggs suitable for incubation were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The average values of egg weight, egg length, egg width, egg shape index, shell thickness, shell weight, and shell ratio were 66.90 g, 60.00 mm, 44.81 mm, 74.70%, 0.37 mm, 6.07 g, and 9.07%, respectively. Moreover, the average values of yolk weight, albumen weight, yolk ratio, albumen ratio, Haugh units, yolk index, and yolk-to-albumen ratio were 20.04 g, 40.80 g, 29.97%, 60.95%, 82.12, 46.17%, and 0.49, respectively. A significant positive correlation (p &lt; 0.01) was found between the egg weight and the egg length (0.75), egg width (0.80), shell (0.55), yolk (0.60), albumen weight (0.91), and albumen ratio (0.25). However, a significant negative correlation (p &lt; 0.01) was found between the egg weight and both the yolk ratio (-0.20) and yolk-to-albumen ratio (-0.23). The egg shape index proved not to be significantly correlated with any of the internal egg quality traits considered. The shell thickness was in a significant positive correlation (p &lt; 0.01) with the shell weight (0.83) and ratio (0.86), whereas a significant negative correlation (p &lt; 0.05) was found between the shell thickness and yolk ratio (-0.23). The Haugh units were in a significant positive correlation (p &lt; 0.05) with the albumen ratio (0.24) and yolk index (0.27), whereas a significant negative correlation (p&lt;0.05) was found between the Haugh units and both the yolk ratio (-0.22) and yolk-to-albumen ratio (-0.23). The results obtained confirm significant phenotypic correlations not only between egg weight and the egg quality traits considered, but also between a number of external and internal quality traits of broiler hatching eggs.

Sayısal Yöntemlerle Belirlenen Yumurta Parametreleri Üzerine Yumurtalama Zamanı ve Kafes Katı Farklılığının Etkisi

In this study, the White Layer Pure Line that housing as individual cage system at the Poultry Research Institute in Ankara was used. Eggs obtained from 24, 28, 32, 36 and 40 weeks old eggs were collected 3 times a day in the morning (10:00), noon (12:00) and evening (15:00). Egg Size and Egg Width (YBE), Shape Index and Elongation (SIE), Egg Surface Area and Volume (YAH), Shell Weight and Shell Thickness (CAS), Number of Pores and Pore Density (GSY), Yellow Ratio and Yellow Weight (SOA), Albumen Weight and Albumen Ratio (AO) were examined in 438 eggs obtained from these chickens found in these cages which are three tiers as upper, middle and bottom. The difference in cage layer did not have a significant effect on the calculated properties. On the other hand, the effect of on all traits obtained from these calculations based on egg weight was found to be significant.