Did you know that egg production has become a super cool automated process on modern poultry farms? These farms use all sorts of advanced tech and equipment to produce millions of eggs each year. Here’s how it all works:
Breeding and Hatching
It all starts with breeding the best hens and roosters that are healthy and super productive. They live in separate breeding facilities where they mate and lay fertilized eggs. These eggs are taken to hatcheries where they incubate and hatch into adorable little chicks.
Growing and Feeding
After hatching, the chicks move to grow-out facilities where they are raised with a balanced diet including grains, protein, and other essential nutrients for their growth and health. The growing period lasts for around 16 to 20 weeks.
Egg Laying
When the birds mature, they start laying eggs, and that’s where the automatic process comes in. The birds live in large, comfy facilities where they can move around and lay eggs in specially designed nesting boxes.
Egg Collection and Sorting
The eggs are collected automatically using conveyor belts and elevators that transport them to a central location for grading, cleaning, and sorting. The eggs are inspected for quality and sorted by weight, size, and color using specialized equipment.
Packaging and Distribution
Once sorted, the eggs are packaged automatically using machines that can pack hundreds of eggs per minute. They’re labeled with important information like the farm’s name and the date of packing. The packed eggs are then loaded onto trucks and transported to supermarkets, restaurants, and other food outlets.
Overall, automatic egg production farms are amazing! They’re efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable, and they help to meet the growing demand for eggs while minimizing the environmental impact of egg production.
Let’s understand in more detail.
The Journey of Eggs: From Farm to Packaging Unit
Are you familiar with the process of egg production in factories? Today, we will explore the journey of eggs from the farm to the packaging unit.
The process begins with chickens raised in enclosed, well-maintained, and well-ventilated environments, where they are fed and kept in cages to lay eggs. A chicken can produce up to one egg per day, and it takes about 26 hours for the development of the next egg.
The cages are designed like slopes, allowing the eggs to roll onto an automatic conveyor and move onto another one. A worker checks for any dust particles or debris leftover from the eggs as they move along the conveyor.
The Chicken’s Role in Egg Production
At the end of the conveyor belt, the eggs are manually placed in casings by several workers, with each casing containing 30 eggs. These casings are then stacked together in preparation for transport to the factory for further processing.
In the factory, a robotic hand places the eggs on a rolling conveyor, while workers manually inspect the eggs to increase the processing time. The eggs are slowly moved into a UVC disinfection chamber, which removes bacteria and checks for abnormalities inside.
Faulty eggs are identified, sampled, and digitally marked, and the percentage of product quality is checked.
Factory Processing: Inspecting and Disinfecting Eggs
The eggs are then moved into a storing unit, where faulty eggs are removed from the batch. The remaining eggs are cleared of dust and feathers to ensure hygiene.
The eggs drop from the gaps between the conveyors into individual slots, where they are oriented before being brought together and emptied. A machine then individually prints the mark on the top and side of each egg using laser printers.
Packaging and Labeling: Ensuring Product Quality
Next, a packing machine takes stacks of empty egg casings and places them on the conveyor, and the eggs are filled into the cases. Laser checks are made to ensure that no eggs are missing from the cases, and the packaging is labeled and closed.
The packages are then moved to the end of the line, where they are collected and prepared for shipment to consumers.
Separating Yolks and Whites: The Opti Breaker Machine
In another factory, a robotic hand extracts the eggs from the casing using suction technology and replaces them on the conveyor belt, as in the previous factory.
The eggs are then inserted into a machine called the opti breaker, which breaks the eggs and separates the yolks from the whites using two layers of cups and plastic stands.
The yolks and whites are processed and channeled through pipes to the packaging section, where plastic bags are filled, labeled, and shipped to consumers.
On another farm, white chickens are raised that lay white eggs. The eggs are transported by a simple strip conveyor to the secondary conveyor, which carries them to the washing unit, where they are washed and dried. A worker then checks for any cracks or abnormalities before the eggs are divided between two separate conveyors.
The eggs are manually aligned for placement on a rolling belt that leads to the packaging unit. The eggs roll along the conveyor path to filter excess water and then enter a heating chamber to dry the outer shell. After packaging, the eggs are gathered and stacked into cases containing 30 eggs each.
From Farm to Table: Boiling and Peeling Eggs
A portion of the eggs goes into the opposite breaker unit on a rolling conveyor, and the yolks are channeled through pipes.
Another portion of the eggs reaches the boiling section, where a robot picks them up and places them on the boiling machine’s conveyor belt.
The eggs are boiled, then dropped into cold water before proceeding through the peeling unit, where they are peeled, sorted, and separated.
Conclusion: Understanding the Complex Egg Production Process
Overall, the egg production process in factories is complex and involves several stages, including washing, drying, disinfection, packaging, and quality checks. The end product is then shipped to consumers for consumption.
Final Words
To sum it up, the journey of eggs from the farm to your plate is pretty amazing! There are many steps involved, from taking care of the chickens to using advanced machines in the factories. Producing eggs is a challenging job that requires attention to detail and careful processes, but all the hard work pays off in the end with delicious, high-quality eggs. As consumers, we should appreciate the effort that goes into producing the food we eat and support farms that practice sustainable and ethical farming.
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