Ahemeral light cycles and egg quality

Abstract

The literature concerning the influence of ahemeral light cycles on the quality of eggs is reviewed. Results pooled from published reports were used to arrive at a quantitative relationship between the length of light cycle (ranging from 23 h to 30 h) and the parameters of egg quality. Eggshell quality (whether measured as mg shell per unit surface area, as shell thickness or as shell weight per se) was found to depend on a curvilinear function of cycle length. Albumen height was negatively correlated with cycle length, whereas yolk and albumen weights were found to have a curvilinear relationship with cycle length.

Keywords::

• Ahemeral
• albumen
• egg quality
• photoperiod
• shell
• yolk