LENGTH OF INCUBATION PERIOD 



Table 4. — Relation of Length of Incubation Period to Laying 

 House Mortality in Females for a 365-Day Period 



Body Weight at Six Months of Age 



Females. — Heavy body weight in pullets when placed in the laying houses is 

 desirable from the standpoint of large egg size and low mortality, according to 

 Hays (1939). Furthermore, the experience of many practical breeders justifies 

 the selection of larger pullets near the onset of sexual maturity. All pullets were 

 weighed individually when they were placed in the laying houses at about six 

 months of age. In table 5 are recorded the mean weights of pullets from the 

 seven different emergent groups. 



Mean body weights were almost identical for pullets in the different emergent 

 groups. These data therefore indicate that the length of the incubation period 

 does not affect body weight of pullets at six months of age. 



Males. — Cockerels were weighed individually at six months of age, and the 

 mean weights recorded according to emergent period, in table 5. The data 

 indicate that cockerels hatched during the 21st day of incubation (periods 2, 

 3, and 4) were slightly heavier than cockerels hatched on the 22d day of incuba- 

 tion (periods 5, 6, and 7). 



