' PENN STATE - Poultry
producers Jiave known for years
that all eggs are not created equal.
Some are larger, some are
smaller, and some have a greater
tendency to crack.
Cracked eggs cost the Penn
sylvania poultry industry an
estimated $l5 million annually.
These costs are passed on to
consumers directly and indirectly.
As many as ten percent of all eggs
are broken long before they hit the
frying pan.
In one Penn State eggshell
damage study, Extension per
sonnel found a marked difference
in eggshell quality between the
first six months and second six
months of laying, says Herb
Jordan, Extension poultry science
specialist at Penn State.
Figures for the first half-year
long laying period indicated the
greatest percentage of cracks
showed up after cooling the eggs
overnight.
“Before this stage of the egg
gathering process, the eggs
Some eggciting facts
HARRISBURG - The largest
egg produced comes from an
ostrich. An ostrich egg is eight
inches long .and six inches in
diameter. The volume is equal to
two dozen hen eggs. The shell of an
ostrich egg is strong enough to
support a man’s weight. And, if
you want to hard-cook one, plan on
boiling the egg for 40 minutes.
What’s the record for egg-
laying? Princess Te Kawan, a
v Black Orphington, bolds the
record, producing 361 eggs in 364
days. The highest number of yolks
ever found in an egg is nine.
How far can you throw an egg
without it breaking?- The longest
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Penn State conducts egg study
showed no visible signs ot cracks,"
explains Jordan. “But, apparently
the eggs that cracked after being
kept perfectly still inside a stan
dard farm cooler had prestressed
weaknesses.”
County Extension Director
Charles M. Skillmgton conducted
the eggshell damage study in Elk
County over a three year period.
Jordan assisted in interpreting the
results. Total egg damage was
' almost 9 percent for 3800 eggs from
four flocks.
For the study, the researchers
gathered 100 egg samples each
month from each of four flocks of
single-combed white Leghorns,
housed in two large cage houses. -
Each egg was measured for
several quality parameters. All of
the cracked eggs were divided into
categories of handling: as laid,
after gathering, after cooling,
after washing, and after weighing
and candling.
During the first six month period
cracks after cooling were the
greatest. Lesser percentage of
drop recorded with the egg staying
intact was 600 feet. Another was
reported hurled 330 feet without
harm. The longest egg and spoon
race was a 27-mile marathon
which lasted four hours and 17
minutes.
Americans are always looking
for -new challenges, and what a
better way to do it then with eggs?
Two blind men shelled 1,050 dozen
or 12,600 eggs in seven hours and 15
minutes at a hotel restaurant. The
record for eating eggs is
eggstraordmary. One individual
ate 14 hard-cooked eggs in 58
seconds; the record for eating 32
soft-boiled eggs is 78 seconds;
while someone ate 13 raw eggs in
only 2.2 seconds.
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Farmall A w/cult.
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OVER 80 NEW FORD &
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cracks occurred after laying,
washing, belt gathering, candling
and weighing.
But more cracks occurred in the
stages during the second six
months of laying, when eggshell
quality normally declines. Nearly
twice as many eggs were damaged
at point of lay and during washing.
Three times as many eggs cracked
during gathering.
However, fewer eggs snowed
HARRISBURG Have your
hens laid too many eggs lately? Or,
are your eggs beginning to
stockpile in the refrigerator 9
If so, you may want to consider
freezing your extra eggs, ac
cording to Vicky Wass, Penn
sylvania Egg Promotion Specialist
with the Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture.
“If you don’t plan to use eggs
within four to five weeks, freezing
is a good way to store your sur
plus,” Wass said. Eggs are frozen
without the shell. Whites and yokes
use different freezing techniques.
To freeze egg whites, just pour
the separated whites into freezer
containers, seal tightly, label with
number of eggs, date and freeze.
To make the process even easier,
freeze each white in an ice tray and
then transfer to a freezer con
tainer.
Egg yolks and whole eggs
require extra care when freezing
because of the gelatin property of
the yolk. To help retard gelatin add
either 1/8 teaspoon salt or 1%
teaspoon com syrup per V\ cup egg
yolks (4 yolks) or whole eggs (2
whole eggs). Be sure to label the
container with the number of
yolks, or whole eggs, and whether
you’ve added salt (for the use in
main dishes) or sugar or com
syrup (for baking or desserts).
Yolks can be hard-cooked by
carefully placing yolks in a
saucepan. Cover yolks with water.
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Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May IS, IMI—C9
cracks in the cooler during the
second laying period.
Jordan notes that the study in
dicates that poultry producers
may need to slow down machinery
and use plastic floor inserts in
cages during the second six
months of lay.
On the average, a 30 cents per
dozen lower price than Grade A is
paid for cracked eggs. For 70,000
Cover the pan and bring water to a
boil. Remove from heat and let
stand covered in hot water for 15
minutes. Remove with a slotted
spoon and drain well before
packing for freezing. Hard-cooked
yolks can be used later for toppings
or garnishes.
Here’s something
to cluck about
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S.
hens laid a record 69.7 billion
marketable eggs last year for food
processors, groceries, hatcheries,
and export markets.
But hens might cluck louder
about another record because all
these eggs came from nearly
million fewer birds than 1979’s 289
million.
Why more eggs and fewer hens?
Because the average laying hen
produced 243 marketable eggs, up
_Glve
Eggso
Tractors
Equipment
layers, average normal production
being 21 dozen marketable eggs
producer per year, this represents
an annual loss of over $38,000.
Eggshell quality also vanes with
such factors as breed of bird and
feed quality. Careful health and
growth records of how pullets are
raised must be kept and evaluated
for further study and im
provements in the industry.
Frozen eggs can be thawed
overnight in the refrigerator or
under cold running water. Once
thawed, whites beat to a better
volume if allowed to sit at room
temperature for about 30 minutes.
Use these frozen eggs just as you
would use fresh eggs.
from the previous high of 240 in
1979. So despite the smaller flock,
U.S. hens produced nearly half a
billion more eggs than in 1979.
Back in the 1950’s an average
hen produced only about 120 eggs
per year. However, research by
poultry scientists on feeding,
lighting, housing, and other
management practices has
created a revolution in egg
production.
GRASSHOPPER & the location of your
nearest dealer, call or write-
LAWN CARE DISTRIBUTORS
Box£s,;Martindale, Pa. 17549
Phone 215-445-4541
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