Farmers are in the daily process of raising chickens. There are some broken eggs caused by careless management. Eggs are affected by the health of the chicken, and the hardness of the eggshell will also vary due to the health and quality of the chicken flock. Here are some methods for farmers to prevent egg breakage.
After laying hens begin to lay eggs, they increase with age. The surface of the egg will also increase. The strength of the eggshell is reduced. Therefore, the older the laying age, the higher the breakage rate. In laying hen cages, the higher the egg breakage rate of standing or squatting laying hens is lower. Laying hens lying prone or squatting have lower egg breakage rates.
Laying hens lack the light required to absorb calcium at night, and the eggshells formed are thinner. Therefore, the breakage rate of eggs laid in the afternoon is lower than that of eggs laid in the morning. The health of the chicken also affects the quality of the eggs. Many diseases have an impact on the quality of eggshells. Such as infectious bronchitis, etc. will make the egg structure abnormal, irregular shape, and increase the egg breakage rate.
Among the nutrition, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D have a greater impact on the quality of eggshells. Under normal circumstances, the amount of calcium required in the diet of laying hens should be 2.7-3.75%. This is 3-4 times larger than the 0.9% calcium requirement of non-laying hens. The phosphorus requirement of the laying hen's diet should be 0.5%. Vitamin D can promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Such as in the absence of vitamin D. Even if the laying hens are fed rich calcium and phosphorus, they will produce soft-shelled eggs.
Environmental changes and the temperature of the chicken house have a greater impact on the eggshell. The higher the shelf temperature, the more broken the eggs. In summer, the eggshells of eggs laid by chickens are usually about 5% thinner than eggs in other seasons. This is mainly because high temperature will reduce the feed intake of chickens, and the intake of calcium will be reduced accordingly. In addition, in a high-temperature environment, if the relative humidity is high, the heat dissipation of the chicken is not good, and the egg will be damaged even more.
Farmers can purchase automated chicken raising equipment. It contains an automatic egg collection system. The chicken coop has a slightly inclined angle. After the laying hen lays the egg. The eggs roll along the conveyor belt. This reduces the egg breakage rate.