278 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 258 



year, and all but one were highly persistent. In annual egg production the pen 

 was mediocre and only slightly superior to the check pen. Two birds in this pen 

 showed 100 per cent hatchabiUty, but the others were inferior. The number of 

 chicks produced by each hen was rather small for an eight-week hatching period. 

 Inbred pen 2 had two late maturing birds, and mean weights were comparable 

 with pen 1. All carried winter pause, and only one had high intensity. In non- 

 broodiness the group ranked well and also in persistency. The production records 

 of these dams excelled that of pen 1, and they showed more consistent high hatch- 

 ability. The numbers of offspring from this pen were rather limited also. 



Results of Matings — 1926 



Sex ratios in surviving progeny were not far from equality. From all three 

 pens there was produced a shght excess of males, but numbers were small so 

 that deductions are unsafe. Complete mortality and weight records on these 

 progeny are given in Table 14. 



