Relationship between shell porosity, shell thickness, egg weight loss, and embryonic development in Japanese quail eggs.

Japanese quail eggs that hatched (H) or pipped (PIP) exhibited less weight loss through 15 d of incubation than did eggs that died late (LD), whereas eggs containing early dead (ED) embryos exhibited the greatest weight loss. The pore concentration at the large end of each egg was greatest in H eggs when compared with all other types. The pore concentration at the equator was greatest in H eggs and least in the eggs of the ED embryos. All other egg types lay statistically between these two types with regard to equator porosity. The small end pore concentration was similar in H, INF, and LD eggs and in the LD, PIP, and ED eggs. The least number was exhibited by the ED eggs and most by the H eggs. The thinnest shells at the small end were exhibited by H eggs, whereas thicker small end shells were exhibited by ED, LD, and PIP egg types. No differences were observed at the large end or equator. The data suggest that ED eggs exhibit excessive weight loss even though shell porosity was lower and shell thickness was similar to other egg types. This suggests that some functional component of the egg such as the shell membrane or albumen may contribute to this excessive weight loss. A similar statement can be made for LD eggs, which experienced greater weight loss through 15 d than did PIP or H eggs.