WHY DO EGGS CRACK?
From what first might appear to be a ridiculous question, it must be understood that “An egg shell cracks if the strength of the shell is less than the strength of the ‘environmental insult’ to which it is exposed”. “Crack incidence does not depend on shell strength alone, but on both shell strength and the strength of the insult” (Carter, 1969). Figure 1 illustrates this principle. The regression line illustrates that combination of impact and the shell’s resistance to impact that will result in a broken egg shell. Once it is recognized that all eggs will break if handling procedures are excessively harsh and that practically all eggs can be protected if enough attention is given to the issue; the amount of breakage experienced can be kept within reasonable limits. The strength of the shell is a product of the strain and breed of the flock, its age, the nutrient balance and intake levels of the ration, environmental conditions, the flock’s general health and previous health history al
