The Effect of Hen Age on Egg Quality in Commercial Layer

Abstract

Egg quality is a very important factor for both consumers and producers. Factors affecting egg quality include strain and age of hens; egg storage temperature, time, and humidity; laying season; and feeding. This study aimed to determine the effect of hen age and egg storage time on egg quality. A total of 700 eggs obtained from Hyline Brown commercial layers were used for this experiment, and they were separated into two hen age groups (30 vs. 60 weeks) with eight treatments and four storage times (day 0, 10, 20, and 30). The egg weight; shell color, thickness, and density; albumen height; Haugh unit (HU); yolk color; and the yolk and albumen pH and viscosity were measured for the egg quality assessment. The results showed that the age of the hen and egg storage time significantly affected almost all parameters of the internal and external egg quality. The shell thickness, albumen height, HU, yolk color, pH of yolk and albumen, and yolk viscosity significantly decreased with increasing hen age. The egg shell color was significantly lighter in eggs from 60-week-old hens than in those from 30 weeks-old hens. The egg weight; shell weight, thickness, and density; albumen height, HU; and albumen viscosity significantly decreased, but the yolk color and pH of the yolk and albumen increased with increasing egg storage time. The interaction effects between the storage time and hen age were significant in shell thickness, albumen height, yolk color, and yolk and albumen pH and viscosity. The eggs obtained from 60-week-old hens showed significantly lower shell thickness, albumen height, and HU values, which are considered typical egg quality measurements, than values of eggs from 30-week-old hens. Therefore, increasing hen age and egg storage time caused the deterioration of egg quality. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that hen age is the major factor affecting the quality of fresh eggs, whereas the storage time is the determinant factor affecting the quality of stored eggs.

Comparison of Basic Internal and External Egg Quality Traits of Brown and White Egg-laying Hens in Relationship to their Age

“…Authors such as Tůmová et al (2007) or Hanusová et al (2015) confirm the significant effect of genotype on eggshell thickness. According to Lee et al (2016) the effect of age on eggshell thickness is statistically significant, which contradicts our results. Furthermore, findings from Lee et al (2016) show decreasing trend of eggshell thickness with the age.…”

“…According to Lee et al (2016) the effect of age on eggshell thickness is statistically significant, which contradicts our results. Furthermore, findings from Lee et al (2016) show decreasing trend of eggshell thickness with the age. Zita et al (2009) found the significant interaction between age and genotype in eggshell thickness, whereas Petričević et al (2017) claim the opposite.…”

“…From the consumers' point of view, another important aspect is the occurrence of blood and meat spots in yolk and/or in albumen, which lower in eggs from white egg layers (Arthur and O'Sullivan, 2005). The effect of age on the basic quality traits is obvious from various studies including Zita et al (2009), Hanusová et al (2015) and Lee et al (2016).…”

Variation and Association of Hen Performance and Egg Quality Traits in Individual Early-Laying ISA Brown Hens

“…However, egg weight increased significantly from week 25 to week 30, at 60 g and 63 g, respectively ( p < 0.001), and this increase may be due to an increase in hen age, as similarly reported by Lacin et al [ 4 ]. The egg weight recorded at 30 weeks in this study was similar to the results of Lee et al [ 17 ], who reported an average egg weight of 64.1 g ± 3.6 for the HyLine Brown breed of hens at 30 weeks of age. Conversely, the average eggs from the current study were heavier, 61 g, when compared to the work of Roberts et al [ 18 ], who recorded an average egg weight of 57.6 g in their study with ISA Brown hens aged between 25 and 40 weeks old.…”

The Influence of Hen Aging on Eggshell Ultrastructure and Shell Mineral Components

“…Among these factors, hen age is one of the main components affecting eggshell quality. Many researchers have reported that eggshell thickness decreased with increasing hen age ( Lee et al, 2016a ; Molnár et al, 2016 ; Rodríguez-Navarro et al, 2002 ). This was considered to be the most important factor in reducing eggshell quality.…”