4-H POULTRY JUDGING EVENT

JUDGING EXTERIOR EGG QUALITY

In poultry judging contests, eggs are assigned grades of A, B or Dirty according to USDA Standards.

Contest setup

Grades AA and A have identical exterior quality standards.

Contestants should not be too harsh in assigning a grade to eggs that have minor defects.

The factors affecting exterior quality of eggs are:

Cleanliness Egg shape Shell texture

Ridges Shell thickness Body checks

Contestants will be evaluating only the exposed surface of the egg.

The underside of the egg should be considered free from defects.

Evaluate only what you see.

NOTE: In commercial egg-processing plants, eggs are graded simultaneously for exterior and interior quality. However, in judging contests, it is necessary to grade eggs for exterior quality separately from interior quality since handling of eggs by contestants can change the grade.

Exterior quality standards are used commercial to reduce the number of eggs with defects that detract from the from the appearance of the egg or that would have a low probability of surviving the rigor of handling in normal market channels.

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