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MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 259 



Table 3. — Influence of Weight of Eggs on Weight of Chicks at Certain Ages. 



Weight at Hatchingi 



Hatching weight records are available on but a very small number of 

 chicks from 21, 22 and 23 ounce eggs. The records available suggest no dif- 

 ference in size of chicks from these three classes. In 24, 25 and 26 ounce 

 classes, there is observable a consistent upward trend in weight of chicks. A 

 significant difference in hatching weight of male and female chicks does not 

 appear in these data. The 772 chicks averaged 61.0 per cent of the weight 

 of the eggs from their dams during the hatching season. 



Weight at Four Weeks of Age 



A study of the four-week weights obtained for the chicks from the dif- 

 ferent egg size groups discloses a striking correlation between egg size and 

 four-week weight both in males and females. There is a regular and consist- 

 ent increase in chick weight with an increase in egg weight. Chicks from 20- 

 ounce eggs averaged 169.2 grams, while those from 26-ounce eggs averaged 

 214.7 grams — an increase of 26.9 per cent. These data fully confirm the find- 

 ings of Benjamin {loc. cit.) with White Leghorns, but do not agree with those 

 of Upp (loc. cit.) which showed that hatching weight differences in Rhode 

 Island Reds disappear in about four weeks. 



Weight at Twenty-one Weeks of Age 



Reference to Table 3 indicates a much less intimate relation between the 

 weight of either males or females at 21 weeks and the weight of eggs from 



