Constitutional Vigor in Poultry 



579 



average consumption for a year of the three strong pens, as shown in 

 Table i, is 1.46 pound greater for each fowl than that of the weak pens. 

 Further examination of this table, however, shows that the average fowl 

 in pen 79 (weak) consumed more than the average in pen 78 (strong). 

 This irregularity can be explained only by the manner in which the two 

 lots were selected (page 574). The consumption of food in the strong 

 and weak pens of both the fall-selected lots was consistent with that of 

 the average strong and weak fowls of the three experiments. The total 

 amount of grit and shell eaten varied in the different pens in the same 

 way as the food consumed. 



The consumption of ground feed was, in most pens, about one fourth 

 that of whole grain. This proportion varied much in relation to the egg 

 production from the different pens. As the consumption of whole grain 

 was practically the same for all flocks of the same variety of fowls, any 

 variation in the amount of ground feed to whole grain consumed was due 

 to the amount of ground feed eaten. The flock that ate the greatest 

 amount of ground feed laid the largest nmnber of eggs, and the flock 

 that ate the least amount of ground feed laid the smallest number of eggs. 

 (Tables i and 5.) 



TABLE I. Consumption of Food per Hen (in Pounds) 

 (December 10, 1907, to December 7, 1908) 



in all tables is obtained by using the totals in the original data instead of the 



* The " true average 

 " per hen " data. 



The proportion of meat scrap eaten depended on the amount of ground 

 feed consumed. The proportion of this meat food to the other food 

 was small, in no case aggregating so high as 7 per cent. 



