1919] ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 77 



dozen eggs was 15.5 cts. in the skim milk pen, 15.2 cts. in the meat scrap pen, 

 and 27.5 cts. in the pen receiving do food from animal sources. For the pro- 

 duction of l lb. of eggs the skim milk pen required 4.9 lbs. of dry matter, the 

 meat scrap pen 5.14 lbs., and the check pen 9.57 lbs., while the egg production 

 per pullet averaged 140.2, 135.9, and 61.2 eggs, respectively. All the pullets in 

 the tests tended to lay the most eggs in or about the month of April. 



The profit over feed per pullet in the skim milk pen was $1.59, in the meat 

 scrap pen $1.G2, and in the check pen 5 cts. The feeding value per 100 lbs. of 

 skim milk was $1.60 and of meat scrap $20.03. The meat scrap pen produced 

 better fertility but not so good hatching power of eggs as was produced by the 

 skim milk pen, while the check pen produced the best fertility. It was found 

 that the average yearly manure production per pullet at night was about 27 

 lbs. The method of feeding appeared to have no influence on health or 

 mortality. 



At the close of the first and the second years of the experiments above de- 

 scribed the check pens were retained and placed on the skim milk ration, while 

 the skim milk pens were also retained and continued on their ration another 

 year. This was done to determine whether or not the poor egg production in 

 the check pens had been due to the lack of animal protein or to poor laying 

 powers in the particular birds. The results secured in this test showed that 

 the hens consumed nearly as much food as when they were pullets, the feed 

 cost being only slightly less, and that pullets fed no animal protein increased 

 their consumption of everything as hens when given skim milk in abundance. 

 The fowls which had had sufficient animal protein all their lives normally laid 

 less eggs as hens than as pullets, but fowls not receiving sufficient protein as 

 pullets when given skim milk as hens laid at least as many eggs as pullets nor- 

 mally did. 



The pullets from the check pens molted early, were in full new feathers by 

 October, and when skim milk feeding was begun in November they laid more 

 winter eggs as hens than any fowls did as pullets. It is pointed out that early 

 molting indicates poor laying but may not indicate poor laying capacity. The 

 hens not fed milk as pullets produced a greater profit over feed as hens than 

 did the milk-fed pullets. While hens seemed to produce better fertility than 

 pullets they showed little improvement in the hatching power of the eggs. 



The nesting habits of the hen, G. M. Turpin (Iohu Sta. Bid. ITS (1918), pp. 

 209-282, figs. 6). — This bulletin reports the results of experiments and obser- 

 vations made to determine the important factors influencing hens in selecting 

 the place for laying their eggs. Data for March and April, and April and May, 

 showing the regularity in time of nesting are presented in tables, together with 

 other records. 



Of the hens under observation as to the diurnal time of laying 17.7 per cent 

 laid before 9 a. m., 28.5 per cent from 9 to 11 a. m., 27.3 per cent from 11 a. m. 

 to 1 p. m., 19.5 per cent from 1 to 3 p. in., and 7 per cent from 3 to 5 p. m. 

 Nesting records showed that a large percentage of hens adhere closely to a 

 uniform schedule of daily egg production and the time of day of laying, liens 

 laying regularly every other day were found to lay at about the same hour 

 each day. and those laying two days in succession in every three-day period as 

 a rule laid the first egg of the cycle at a certain definite hour of the forenoon 

 and the second egg during a definite period in the afternoon. Most of the hens 

 laying three eggs in a cycle laid the first egg comparatively early in the fore- 

 noon, the second somewhat later in the forenoon, and the third at a definite 

 period in the afternoon. In general hens laying more than three e?^ in a cycle 

 laid a larger proportion of their eggs in the forenoon than those laying a 



