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You were asking about…Eggs
Housing: Where Do Laying Hens Live?
Virtually all egg-laying chickens in Canada, known as “layers”, are housed indoors. Free range (outdoor) production, while possible in the spring and summer months, is not possible in Canadian winters, making it impractical and costly to implement on a large-scale commercial basis in Canada.
The cage system is the preferred housing system for today’s eggs production, ensuring the highest possible food safety and egg quality standards. Well over 90% of the eggs produced in Canada are produced using this system. The reason for its popularity is the high degree of environmental control and production efficiencies that can be achieved. It also allows the mechanization of routine chores such as feeding and watering, egg collection, and the regular removal of manure – management advantages that often favour laying cages over floor-raised flocks.
Keeping 4 to 8 birds together in a cage supports their natural instinct to cluster together for security and makes for a calmer, less aggressive environment for the hens. Cages provide a safe, healthy environment for hens by maintaining a comfortable group size and keeping them safe from predators. Cages are designed to keep manure separate from the hens and the eggs, which is important for food safety because certain bacteria can pass through the thousands of pores in the shell into the egg.
Humane treatment of hens is a priority for Canadian egg farmers. Not only is it the right thing to do, but only healthy hens lay eggs, so it is in the farmer’s best interest to take good care of the hens. The farmer makes sure that the hens have adequate light and air, a well-balanced, nutritious diet, fresh water and comfortable surroundings – all the essentials for health and production.
In the barns the temperature, light and humidity are automatically controlled to provide year-round comfort for the hens, and strict sanitation and restricted farm entry programs are designed to help farmers maintain optimal biosecurity for their flocks.
The lighting in the barns is controlled to stimulate the hens into laying the same amount of eggs whether it is winter or summer. In a natural environment, the production of eggs would be affected by day length; in commercial production, a consistent photoperiod (simulated daylight hours) allows us to enjoy a steady supply of eggs year-round.
Farmers follow sound animal welfare practices based on a national code of practice and an animal care certification program.
Nutrition: What Do Laying Hens Eat?
The hens’ diet does not contain hormones or antibiotics, but plenty of grains, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Food and fresh water are constantly available.
The colour of the egg yolk is determined by the feed a hen eats. A hen that eats a wheat-based diet, which is more common in the western provinces, will produce eggs with pale yellow yolks, while a hen that consumes a corn or alfalfa-based diet produces eggs with dark yellow yolks.
A hen will consume approximately 100 g of feed per day.
About the Life Cycle of Laying Hens…
There are four stages of production for layer chickens: breeder farms, hatcheries, pullet farms and layer farms.
At the hatchery, eggs from breeding flocks are placed in incubators. After 21 days, the eggs hatch and the chicks are housed in a pullet barn (a pullet is a young hen). At 18-20 weeks of age, the hens are transferred to a farm to begin producing eggs.
For more information about transportation regulations for livestock please visit
www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/livestock/animalcare/transportation.html
Hens start laying eggs at this age and continue for about 12 months. The average laying hen can produce approximately 300 eggs in one year. These eggs are not fertilized and therefore will not hatch into chicks; they are produced strictly for consumption.
In 1960 the average chicken laid 193 eggs each year. Today, the average hen lays about 300 eggs a year as a result of using specially bred birds and advances in nutrition and management.
Years ago, collection of eggs was almost “hide-and-seek”, and the quality was just as unpredictable. In today’s modern egg production, the eggs roll from the cages onto a conveyor belt leading to a central packing area. This process ensures prompt refrigeration.
The eggs are placed in plastic, sanitized flats, 30 at a time, wide-end up to keep the yolk centred. The flats are then placed on pallets and stored immediately in a cool room that is chilled to 10° to 13°C (50° to 55°F). At this temperature, eggs retain their freshness and quality while awaiting shipment to a registered grading station.
After 12 - 14 months of laying eggs the hens are sold for use in processed chicken products. The barn will then be completely cleaned and disinfected before the next flock arrives.
While all laying chickens are vaccinated, growth promotants and hormones are not used in egg farming. No pharmaceuticals are given to chickens in caged healthy flocks. Birds kept on the floor in free-run situations may require sub-therapeutic levels of pharmaceuticals to combat specific types of disease that may develop and spread in the floor litter. Monitoring of both the flock and eggs ensures that when pharmaceuticals have to be used to fight illness in any bird Breeds.
The most common laying hen in Canada is the White Leghorn – a small bird that lays white eggs. The Rhode Island Red hen, which lays brown eggs, is another common commercial breed.
For more information on breeds, click here:
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/
Off to Market
When eggs are transported from the farm to the grading station it is important to maintain the correct temperature, so they are shipped in temperature-controlled trucks. If the temperature gets too warm, there is a possibility of bacteria growth and deterioration the egg’s quality.
At the grading station eggs are divided into three grades – usually within 24 hours of arrival. In Canada, all eggs sold in grocery stores have been cleaned, checked for quality, sized and packed at an egg grading station registered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). CFIA inspects all registered egg grading stations, ensuring proper sanitation and operating conditions.
The grading process begins with flats of 30 eggs being lifted onto an assembly line. Metal arms with suction cups gently lift the eggs from the flats onto a moving track. The eggs are then washed and sanitized in a high-speed washer that gently scrubs the eggs. From here the quality of the eggs is examined using a process called candling or scanning. In candling, the egg passes over a strong light which makes the interior of the egg visible. This allows the grader to see the condition of the shell, the size of the air cell and whether the yolk is well-centred (a sign that the white is thick, because it is holding the yolk in its proper position). Using an electronic sensor, eggs are divided into three streams: Grades A, B and C.
Weight and Date
Each egg is then weighed electronically, separated by size and packaged in foam, fibre or clear plastic cartons. The cartons are stamped to indicate the Best Before date which lets you know how long the eggs will maintain their quality. This date is usually set at 35 days after grading.
Eggs are sized by weight. Eggs in a carton or flat might not be the same size, but they will be within a specific weight range. A hen lays very few peewee and small eggs, some medium and jumbo, and mostly large and extra large eggs. Several factors influence the size of an egg, the major one being the age of the hen – as the hen ages, her eggs increase in size. Because of availability and consumer preferences, not all sizes of eggs are found in every store.
Graders take great care to maintain optimum temperature and humidity levels of the eggs that reach their doors. Most eggs start at the washers and pass through the entire system in less than 15 minutes. After being packaged in cartons, fresh eggs are again refrigerated until they are sent to stores and restaurants within a few days.
Peewee – less than 42 g
Small – 42 g to 48.9 g
Medium – 49 g to 55.9 g
Large – 56 g to 63.9 g
Extra large – 64 g to 69.0 g
Jumbo – 70 g or more
Before the eggs are shipped, federal inspectors take random samples for individual testing to ensure the eggs are high quality. Once approved by the inspectors, the eggs are shipped to grocery stores in cartons and to restaurants and institutions in 2½-dozen flats. Even with all the careful washing, checking, grading and inspecting, the eggs you buy at the store usually arrive there within four to seven days of being laid.
The journey continues on to the grocery store where the eggs are refrigerated at 4° to 5°C (39° to 41°F) immediately upon delivery in a refrigerated truck. The eggs are rotated so those that arrive at the store first are the first ones sold. Stores have a cold storage area where eggs might be briefly held before being displayed in a refrigerated area of the store – usually the dairy case.
Colour…What’s the Difference?
The most common laying hen in Canada is the White Leghorn – a small bird that lays white eggs. The Rhode Island Red hen, which lays brown eggs, is another common breed. There are no nutritional differences between white and brown eggs.
The colour of the egg yolk is determined by the feed a hen eats. A hen that eats a wheat-based diet, which is more common the western provinces, will produce eggs with pale yellow yolks, while a hen that consumes a corn or alfalfa-based diet produces eggs with dark yellow yolks.
Canada Grade A:
Sold in retail stores for household use
The most commonly bought consumer egg
Firm white
Round, well-centred yolk
Clean, uncracked shell with normal shape
Small air cell (less than 5 mm deep)
Canada Grade B:
Sold for commercial baking or further processing
Can be sold at retail
Watery white
Slightly flattened yolk
Uncracked shell possibly with rough texture
May be slightly stained or soiled
Canada Grade C:
Sold to commercial processors for further processing only
Thin, watery white
Loose yolk
Possibly cracked shell and up to 1/3 stained
To offer consumers greater choice, research has led to the development of specialty eggs. These eggs might be slightly different in nutrient value than regular eggs or they may come from hens housed or fed in a special way. Here are some of the specialty eggs you might find at your supermarket:
Omega-3 Enhanced eggs – contain a higher level of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
Vitamin-Enhanced eggs – contain higher levels of certain nutrients including vitamin E, folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.
Organic eggs – produced by hens fed certified organic grains.
Vegetarian eggs – produced by hens fed a diet containing only ingredients of plant origin.
Premium Quality eggs – have stronger shells and thicker whites than regular eggs, and exceed the requirements for grade A eggs.
Free Run eggs – produced by hens that are able to move about the floor of the barn.
Free Range eggs – produced by hens that are able to move about the floor of the barn and have access to outdoor runs.
In January 2003, Health Canada regulations came into effect requiring most food packaging – including egg cartons – to carry a mandatory Nutrition Facts table that lists calories and 13 core nutrients.
Health Check™
Health Check™ is a program developed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada to help consumers make wise food choices. Every food product involved in the program will have an on-pack symbol, a Nutrition Facts table and an explanatory message. All eggs in Canada qualify for this symbol, which tells consumers that eggs are a healthy choice. This symbol will be appearing on more and more egg cartons in the future. For more information about Health Check™, visit www.healthcheck.org.