Eggs 

Exhibition Eggs

Origin: Worldwide

Category: Any Domestic Breed

Egg Colour: White, Cream, Brown, Green, Blue

Features: Judged on externals and / or internals

The exhibition of eggs is something that may be seen at agricultural or club shows in Australia.

Egg judging has its roots in commercial farming. Fowls have been selected by breeders on the basis of egg-production, as judged from an examination of their external characteristics for hundreds of years. Some of these judgements have been based on the numbers of eggs laid but others have been based on body characteristics that are known to be correlated with egg-production. Not only is the number of eggs produced of importance, but also the quality and consistency of those eggs. Eventually egg standards were constructed to help judges evaluate the eggs themselves and these are used by adjudicators at shows in current times.

EXTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS

SHAPE

The shape of the egg is of prime importance to the judge. The normal egg has an oval shape with one end larger than the other, and it tapers toward the smaller end. These ends of an egg are commonly called the large end (air cell end) and the small end. The sides are equal in length and symmetrical. The larger domed end of the egg is broad and the dome itself is well rounded. The opposite end of the egg is smaller but not too pointy. Measurements of both strength and appearance of many eggs by investigators resulted in the development of this "ideal" egg shape.

Eggs that are unusual in shape, are of poorer quality and this lowers the utility value of the egg. Eggs of abnormal shape also lack consumer appeal. 

TEXTURE AND CONDITION OF SHELL

Soundness of shell, its texture and its state of cleanliness are of prime importance. If you run your hand over the shell it should be smooth all over. There should be no cracks, bumps, pimples or roughness of any sort. Cracks may range from a very fine, hairline crack that is only discernible by candling, through to plainly visible dents or cracks. The shell should not only be sound and smooth but should also be free of dirt, stains or marks. It should have a healthy bloom to the surface. Seven to seventy thousand tiny pores are distributed over the shell surface, a greater number at the large end. As the egg ages, these tiny holes permit moisture and carbon dioxide to move out and air to move in to form the air cell. The shell is covered with a protective coating called the cuticle or bloom. By blocking the pores, the cuticle helps to preserve freshness and prevent microbial contamination of the contents. The shell should be smooth, free from lines or bulges, evenly limed, smooth at each end of the egg, without roughness, porous parts or lime pimples. The shell surface should be smooth and clean. Pores should be fine and not overly coarse. A judge will carefully go over the shells to determine quality and condition.

COLOUR AND CONSISTENCY

Colour should be as per the class into which the eggs are entered. It should be even across the eggs unless otherwise indicated. When judging eggs in sets of a certain number, consistency across the set is an important factor.

A variety of egg colours may be shown in accord with the individual show schedule. Colours such as Light Brown, Dark Brown, Blue, Green Olive, Plum, Speckled, Cream, White, etc may be shown. Colour is of less importance in exhibition than is shape and texture. In the case of judging very dark brown eggs, preference is for evenness of colour over mottling. When judging all mottled eggs of any colour, evenness of mottles over the surface is desirable. White eggs should be chalk white.

Eggs may be washed, but if they are, care must be taken that they do not appear artificially polished as this could lead to the exhibit being passed. It is not advisable to wash dark brown eggs as this could damage the pigment. Clean nests at all times is the golden rule for any showman.

INTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS

YOLK

The yolk should be a rich even shade of golden yellow and free of blood spots or blemishes. This yolk should be nicely rounded with no surface wrinkles, and sit close to the centre of the albumen. To the side of the centre of the yolk the blastoderm (or blastodisc) should be able to be visible.

ALBUMEN

The albumen (sometimes known as egg white) should be thick and clear (translucent), showing a definite outline when placed on the plate.. The albumen consists of four alternating layers of thick and thin consistencies. From the yolk outward, they are designated as the inner thick or chalaziferous white, the inner thin white the outer thick white and the outer thin white. Albumen is more opalescent  than truly white. The cloudy appearance comes from carbon dioxide. As the egg ages, carbon dioxide escapes, so the albumen of older eggs is more transparent than that of fresher eggs.The ablumen should be dense, particularly around the yolk, which is raises. The outline of the albumen should be seen and it should be free of blood spots.

CHALAZAE

The chalazae cords should be visible at each end of the yolk.

AIR CELL

The air cell should be small in a fresh egg. It should be located centrally at the blunt end of the egg.

FRESHNESS

Freshness, Bloom and Appearance - this is very much taken into consideration by the judge. Freshness can be judged in a number of ways. Air cell size, height of albumen, heights of yolk. A fresh egg has a small airspace, and unwrinkled top surface of yolk, and its height. Stale yolks flop at edges and as an egg ages the white becomes more runny. 

SIZE

Size varies according to species, breed and age of layer. Size is not an isolated deciding factor. The Australian Poultry Standards advises that it should be discourage for bantam chicken eggs to exceed 42.5 grams and bantam duck eggs to exceed 68.8 grams. For exhibition purposes, size is only to be considered in relation to the features of the whole egg. As with fowls, the egg exhibit is to be judged holistically.

Exhibition Sizes:

Bantam Chicken: <42.5g

Standard Chicken: >49.6g

Bantam Duck: <63.8g

Standard Duck or Turkey: 70.9g - 92.2g

Light Geese: from 141.8 g 

Heavy Geese: up to 198.6 g

SERIOUS DEFECTS

Cracks

Double yolk

Meat spots

Any colouring added shells

Over preparation or cleaning of shells

Defective internals

Staleness

DISQUALIFICATIONS

More than one yolk.  

Staleness.  

Polished or over prepared shells.  

Addition of colouring to shells. 

Large fowl eggs excessively less than weight minimum.

Bantam eggs excessively more than weight maximum. 

Great lack of uniformity.  

Dirty or soiled eggs.  

Poor shell texture. 

Blood or meat spots. 

Mould growth and cracks. 

Defective contents even when judged for externals.

SOURCES

• Egg Grading Manual. Corporate Author: United States. Published: [Washington] : Dept. of Agriculture, Food Safety and Quality Service : for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off, [1978] Edition: [Rev. Aug. 1975, slightly rev. May 1978.] https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/101897268

• The Poultry Club of Great Britain. https://www.poultryclub.org/resources/eggs/showing-eggs/

• Chicken Egg Sizes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_egg_sizes

• Golden Eggs Website: http://www.goldeneggs.com.au/product_range/golden_eggs.htm

• Australian Egg Corporation: Accessed September 2016. http://www.humanechoice.com.au/Resources/Documents/Egg-Labelling-Guide-March-2013-FINAL-1.pdf

• Australian Poultry Standards, 2nd edition. 2012.

• The Poultry Club of South Africa: https://www.poultryclubsa.co.za/standard-for-eggs/