4-H POULTRY JUDGING EVENT
JUDGING INTERIOR EGG QUALITY
BY CANDLING
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Each
egg is graded on its individual merits of quality according to the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Grades. The grades are AA, A, B, and
inedible. In the state contest, the only factor used for separating grades AA, A, and B is air cell size. Eggs with blood spots are classified as inedible. (More recently,
classification referred to as 'loss') |
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In a contest, the following are not considered as quality factors when
candling eggs for interior quality:
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How to
candle an egg: Hold the large end of an egg up to the candling
light in a slanting position. You can see the air cell, the yolk and the white. The air cell is nearly always in the large end of
the shell. Hold the
egg between your thumb and first two fingers.
By turning
your wrist quickly, you can cause the inside of the egg to whirl. Video demonstration: side-view front-view Use the back arrow of the web browser to return to
this page. *********************** When you are learning to candle eggs for
interior quality, you will find it helpful to break and observe any eggs you
are in doubt about. This is
especially important in detecting inedible eggs. Many contestants believe they see blood spots that are not
actually present. They confuse the yolk of a Grade B egg, or the chalaza of
any egg, for a blood spot. |
