The influence of high environmental temperature on immature domestic fowl. Poultry Sci

BENNION and Warren (1933) showed that the components of the egg de-creased in weight when hens were exposed to high environmental temperature. The shell and albumen decreased considerably more than the yolk in proportion to their weight which indicates that the oviduct may be more sensitive than the ovary to high environmental temperatures. Hunter, Van Wagenen and Hall (1934) reported that there was a seasonal trend in interior quality of hen's eggs, showing a lowering of this quality beginning with March or April and continuing through the summer. Lorenz and Almquist (1936) showed that egg weight is decreased by increased air temperature during the formation of the egg, but the percentage of firm white and shell weight are not affected by the air tem-perature during this time. Knox and God-frey (1938) reported a progressive decrease in thick albumen of eggs during the laying year. This suggested a decrease in albumen with age. Warren and Schnepel (1940) re-ported that hens and pullets held under controlled air temperatures showed a strik-ing reduction in thickness of their egg shells when subjected to 90 ° F. Their results also suggest that high humidity tends to accen-tuate the depressing effects of high temper-ature on shell thickness. According to Wilhelm (1940) there is a definite seasonal