594 



Bulletin 318 



and weak flocks of Barred Plymouth Rocks was greater than between 

 those from the strong and weak Leghorn flocks. 



TABLE 17. Average Dry Matter Consumed, Average Weight of Fowls, and 



Percentage of Egg Production, by Periods 



(December 8, 1908, to December 6, 1909) 



Period 



Date 



Beginning . 



Average dry mat- 

 ter consumed 

 (pounds) 



Strong ' Weak 



Average weight 



of fowls 

 (pounds) 



Percentage of 

 egg production 



Strong 



4.86 



Weak Strong 



4.29 



Weak 



I 



2 



3 



4 



5 



6 



7 



8 



9 



10 



II 



12 



13 



December 8-January 4 . . . 

 January 5-Febniary i . . . 



February 2-March i 



March 2-March 29 



March 30-April 26 



April 27-May 24 



May 25-June 21 



June 22-July 19 



July 20-August 16 



August 17-September 13. 

 September 14-October 11. 

 October 12-Xovember 8.. 

 November 9-December 6. 



Total.. . 

 Average . 



4.70 

 5. IS 

 S.26 

 4-87 

 S.65 

 6.02 

 539 

 4-58 

 4-75 

 489 

 4-34 

 4.16 



4-43 



4.61 

 4.96 

 S.12 

 5. 58 

 595 

 5-97 

 489 

 4-49 

 457 

 452 

 4.10 

 3.99 

 4.04 



,06 

 21 

 35 

 15 

 09 

 .04 

 01 

 86 

 63 

 77 

 66 



4.61 



4-75 



4S9 

 4.76 

 4.61 

 4-7S 

 4.69 

 4.68 

 4.60 

 4-44 

 4-45 

 4.48 

 4.29 

 4.19 

 4.27 



10. 1 



12.6 



18.9 

 40.3 

 55-9 

 57. 4 

 52. 7 

 46. 1 

 36.8 

 35.2 

 17.2 

 45 

 0.9 



64.19 I 62.79 



4-93 



483 



4.92 



452 



29.7^ 



6.3 

 13 -I 

 19.7 

 41.8 

 57. 9 

 S3 5 

 49 S 

 41. 1 

 34 O 

 31. 1 

 18.7 

 5-5 

 0.3 



28.57 



COST PER DOZEN EGGS PRODUCED 



The average cost to produce eggs the second year was three to five 

 cents more per dozen than for the first year. (Table 19.) This increased 

 cost is accounted for by the lower consumption of food and higher pro- 

 duction of eggs during the previous year. The weak Plymouth Rock 

 pen made a more economical use of its food in number of eggs produced, 

 but the strong fowls produced much heavier eggs. This comparison is 

 the only one in this series in which the weak fowls produced at a lower 

 cost per dozen eggs. 



INCUBATION 



A large number of eggs were incubated and showed a consistent 

 advantage in favor of the strong pens, not only in fertility, but in the 

 percentage of eggs hatched, weight of chicks, and nimiber of chicks alive 

 at the end of six weeks. In hatching power, the eggs from the strong 

 pens averaged 7.7 per cent higher than those from the weak pens. There 

 was less difference in the weight of the chicks from the strong and weak 

 White Leghorn pens than in that from the strong and weak Plymouth 

 Rock pens. The weight of the chick seems to depend more on the weight 

 of the egg than on the flock or breed from which it was hatched. In two 



