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Hens are housed in clean, ventilated buildings. |
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Computerized control systems regulate heat, light and humidity and automatically dispense feed and water to the hens. |
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Egg collection is done automatically, usually twice a day. Eggs roll on to rollers and are gently hurried to the central packing area. |
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In the central packing area, the eggs are placed on plastic, sanitized trays, 30 at a time, wide end up, to keep the yolk centred. |
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To maintain freshness and quality, the flats of eggs are placed on carts and stored immediately in a cooler room chilled to 11°C to 12°C. |
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The eggs are usually picked up within 3 to 7 days and delivered to a grading station. |
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Each hen lays about 300 eggs in a year and consumes about 36 kilograms of feed during the laying period. |
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At the grading station, the eggs are removed from the carts and placed on to an assembly line for washing, candling, sizing and cartoning. |
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Metal arms with suction cups gently lift the eggs and place them on to a moving track. |
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The eggs are washed and sanitized in a high speed washer. |
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During candling, the egg passes over a strong light which allows the candler to make sure the shell is clean and has no cracks, the white is thick, the yolk is well centred and the air cell is small. |
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Each egg is weighed electronically, separated by size and directed to the cartoning station. |
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The cartoned eggs are placed on pallets and moved immediately to a refrigerated storage area where they are held until they are delivered to the egg case at your grocery store. |
