352 



POULTRY BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT 



as shown by market quotations in several of the large 

 centers. The preference of consumers for eggs of a certain 

 color is based on a fad, but so long as the fad does not 

 interfere with his business the poultryman will take 

 cognizance of it and endeavor to furnish eggs of the color 

 that will command the highest price, whether they be white 

 or brown. In many markets no importance is placed on 

 color, but if the poultryman has eggs of different colors it 

 will pay him to separate them, filling one end of the crate 

 with white and the other with browns if he has not enough 

 to make a case of each, or if cartons are used they may be 

 separated in this way. 



3. Shape of Egg. Abnormal eggs should be culled out. 

 These include double-yolked eggs, ill-shapen eggs and soft- 

 shelled eggs. "With proper at- 

 tention to breeding and man- 

 agement of the fowls the percent- 

 age of culls should be small. 



4. The Egg Contents. Eggs 

 that are either too highly colored 

 or too pale in the yolk are objec- 

 tionable. The color is controlled 

 by the feed. (See Chapter XI.) 



5. Candling. The quality of 

 the egg contents is determined by 

 candling. By candling it is meant 

 that tl^e egg is subjected to a light 

 that reveals, for all practical pur- 

 poses, its real market value. 

 There are various methods of 

 candling eggs. In early methods 

 a tallow candle was used, hence 

 the origin of the name candling. 

 A candle was put inside of a 



COMMERCIAL EGG 

 CANDLING 



(Courtesy, Bureau of Chemis- 

 try, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture.) 



