Dietary rapeseed meal and the incidence of tainted eggs

Abstract

1. Incorporating 0, 3, 6 or 9% rapeseed meal in the diet of brown‐egg laying birds for 28 d resulted in the production of 0, 1.2, 19.3 and 20.9% tainted eggs respectively, the first tainted eggs being laid on the fifth day. 2. During the second and third weeks the incidence of tainted eggs exceeded 20% but fell to 11.4% during the final week. 3. Omission of the rapeseed meal from the diets halted the production of tainted eggs. 4. Neither egg production nor the health of the birds was adversely affected by the treatments. 5. The taint was described as “ fishy ” or “ crabby ” and was distinctive, but the source was not identified.