The Yolks on You
- Aidan Luoma
- Mar 22, 2023
- 3 min read
By: Aidan Luoma
When I look at a carton of eggs, I see nearly identical structures placed neatly in a cardboard box. Eggs are so similar that you would expect them to be made the same way, right? Well, not exactly.While investigating the egg-laying process, researchers at the University of Georgia noticed something interesting. Two quails that had started egg development at the same time laid their eggs at significantly different times. Further investigating into this phenomenon showed that there was a 40% difference in egg development time between multiple quails, which left researchers puzzled. Why did these birds’ lay eggs at such different times? Researchers hypothesized that this difference in time may have been the result of missing proteins, which led to shorter yolk development times. To test their hypothesis, Kristen Navara and colleagues from the University of Georgia investigated whether different diets could explain why some eggs develop faster than others in quails.
To answer this question, researchers had to start cooking! They gained access to multiple quails and fed them different diets: some were given diets commonly eaten by quails (corn, wheat, etc…), and others were given a special diet. To incorporate this special diet, scientists fed the special group of quails’ dried egg yolk, which acted as a protein supplement, before they began the egg producing process. This is the equivalent of drinking a protein shake before going to the gym! Ideally, this would make up for the possible “missing yolk proteins” that the researchers believed to be the cause of the delayed egg laying and would cause the quails to lay their eggs faster. The quails were kept on these diets for 3 weeks, and their rate of egg-laying was recorded so that scientists could investigate trends later on.
Remarkably, the results were not what the scientists predicted. Quails that were given the egg yolk supplement produced eggs at a slower rate than those fed a standard diet, a complete opposite result compared to what the scientists theorized! But why did this happen? Well, scientists believed that the proteins introduced from the egg yolk supplements caused a condition known as “reproductive dysfunction”, a condition that makes it harder for the quails to produce the necessary components of the egg, taking longer for it to be laid. Adding to this theory, Navara and her team determined that protein levels within a bird shouldn’t be considered a value, but more of a balance. Add too much, or not having enough proteins would interrupt this balance, and would result in decreased egg-production, elongating the egg-laying process of these birds. What can we conclude from this? Well, giving the quails supplements did alter the egg-laying time, but not in the way researchers wanted. Instead of making the egg-laying process faster and easier on the birds, it had the reverse effect, slowing down the egg development time, and leaving the bird in a state of reproductive dysfunction. We can summarize this by saying that interrupting the birds “internal balance” will lead to the bird taking longer to lay eggs.
In conclusion, the difference in egg-laying time remains a mystery! Kristen Navara and colleagues introduced egg yolk protein into the diets of a group of quail, and measured the rate of egg-laying compared to quail fed a regular diet. Giving the quails egg yolk resulted in longer egg-laying times, which researchers believed was the proteins from the supplements making it harder on the bird to produce the necessary components of the egg. This led the researchers to conclude that a balance of proteins in necessary for proper egg development, and altering this balance at all will make it harder for the bird to reproduce properly. I guess supplements aren’t always the solution after all!
Comments