Regular 



High Energy 



High Energy 12 Weeks 



Regular 12-20 Weeks 



made efficient use of their feed. How- 

 ever, during the 12- to 20-week 

 period they grew less rapidly and 

 were much less efficient in the use of 

 their feed than those which had re- 

 ceived the regular mash from the 

 start. The group which received the 

 regular mash after 12 weeks also 

 grew more slowly and used theii" 

 feed less efficiently. As the mature 

 weight was approached all groups 

 tended to come to the same weight. 

 Such results are not uncommon with 

 chickens since it is known that, with- 

 in limits, early rapid growth is fol- 

 lowed by a later period of less rapid 

 growth. Mature weight being an in- 

 herited characteristic, all groups ap- 

 proach the same weight as they ap- 

 proach maturity. At 20 weeks the 

 high-energy fed birds had lost some 

 of the weight advantage they held 

 at 12 weeks but were still heavier. 



Preliminary laying house data 

 from these groups (all receiving the 

 same laying ration ) indicate that 

 the pullets grown on the regular 

 mash and the high-energy mash 

 started production at the same time. 

 They also reached 50 per cent pro- 

 duction after the same period of 

 time. In contrast, the group which 

 received high-energy mash followed 

 by regular mash laid their first eggs 

 a few days earlier than the other 

 groups. They also required four 

 additional days to reach the 50 per 

 cent production level. There is no 

 difference in egg production after 

 112 days in the laying house. 



R, C. RiNGROSE 



Soybean Oil Meal Is a Good Pro- 

 tein Supplement. Soybean oil meal 

 is the only protein supplement neces- 

 sary for the production of market 

 eggs. Soybean oil meal can supply 

 the major portion of the protein 

 necessary for growth of chicks and 

 production of hatching eggs, but for 

 best results it must be supplemented 

 with a small amount of protein of 

 animal origin such as meat scrap or 

 fish meal. By supplying most of the 

 supplemental protein from soybean 

 oil meal cheaper rations are obtained. 

 R. C. RiNGROSE 



Meat Qualities and Egg Produc- 

 tion Are Being Combined in One 

 Bird. During the past year, work 

 has continued on the Dark Cornish- 

 New Hampshire cross. A total of 

 1587 eight generation (Fg) chicks 

 hatched from six single-male matings 

 were pedigreed and their perform- 

 ance will be studied from a family 

 standpoint. Next year's breeders 

 will be selected from the families that 

 gave the best results with respect to 

 egg production, meat qualities, liv- 

 ability, and uniformity. 



The trapnested F7 hens have not 

 completed a year's production, al- 

 though the production seems to be as 

 high as last year. Last year's high- 

 est production in these birds was 237 

 eggs per year. Twenty-five per cent 

 of the 80 F7 hens used as breeders 

 hatched 90 per cent or more of fer- 

 tile eggs and 49 per cent of these 

 hens hatched 80 per cent or more. 



33 



