Constitutional Vigor in Poultry 



593 



the production from the weak pens was the larger. At two periods only 

 was the production as great as that of the first year, although it compared 

 very favorably during the months of March, April, May, June, and July. 

 There were certain periods during the late fall when some of the flocks 

 produced no eggs. (Table i6.) 



The second year's tabulation of average consumption of dry matter, 

 weight of fowls, and production of eggs by periods shows practically the 

 same conditions as ex- 

 isted during the first 

 year. The period of 

 heaviest weight of the 

 fowls in each case pre- 

 cedes the period of 

 highest egg produc- 

 tion. The periods of 

 highest consumption 

 of dry matter come at 

 the same time as those 

 of heaviest egg pro- 

 duction. The average 

 strong and average 

 weak pens show a 

 very similar type of 

 curve. The strong 

 pens during most peri- 

 ods show better egg 

 production and food 

 consumption than do 

 the weak pens. The 

 weak fowls reached 

 their highest produc- 

 tion in the spring one 

 period in advance of 

 the strong, and started 



Fig. 164. — The average dry matter consumed, the average 

 weight of fowls, and the percentage of egg production, by 

 periods of twenty-eight days each 



laying a little earlier in the fall than did the strong, 

 are shown in Table 17 and Fig. 164. 



These conditions 



weight of eggs 



The average weight of the eggs incubated from the strong flocks was 

 slightly greater than that of the eggs from the weak flocks. (Table 18.) 

 For both years the difference in weight between the eggs from the strong 



