VARIABILITY IN EGG WEIGHT 15 



(7) The presence or absence of winter pause had no effect on either annual 

 or March variability in egg weight. 



(8) The presence or absence of the broody instinct had no effect on annual 

 or March variability in egg weight. 



(9) No correlation was observed between persistency and annual variability 

 in egg weight; but there was a slight negative correlation between persistency 

 and March variability in egg weight. 



(10) The first egg of a clutch generally weighs more than any other egg of 

 the clutch; and the rate of decline in weight of the successive eggs of a clutch is 

 least in intense laying birds. 



(11) Variability in egg weight was greatest for the first egg of a clutch and 

 declined with each succeeding egg. 



(12) There was no correlation between mothers and daughters in March 

 variability in egg weight. 



(13) There was a small negative correlation between annual egg production 

 and annual variability in egg weight. 



(14) There was no significant correlation between body weight at first egg 

 and annual egg weight. 



(15) A slightly significant negative correlation was found between body 

 weight at the end of the first laying year and annual egg weight. 



(16) In a strain that lays large eggs, an increase of from 4 to 5 percent in 

 egg weight may be expected between the first and the second laying years. 



(17) There is some evidence of a slight decline in egg weight after the second 

 laying year. 



(18) These data furnished some evidence of inherited variability, particularly 

 during the first part of the laying year. 



References 



Atwood, Horace. 1923. Certain correlations in the weight and number of eggs 



and the weight of fowls. W. Va. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 182. 

 Atwood, Horace. 1925 The standard deviation in the weight of White Leghorn 



eggs. W. Va. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 195. 

 Atwood, Horace, and C. E. Weakley, Jr. 1917. Certain characteristics of hen 



eggs. W. Va. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 166. 

 Clark, T. B. 1940. The relation of production and egg weight to age in White 



Leghorn fowls. Poultry Sci. 19 (l):61-66. 

 Funk, E. M., and H. L. Kempster. 1934. Egg weight in the domestic fowl. 



Mo. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 332. 

 Goodale, H. D., Ruby Sanborn and Donald White. 1920. Broodiness in domes- 

 tic fowl. Mass. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 211. 

 Hays, F. A. 1924. Inbreeding the Rhode Island Red with special reference to 



winter egg production. Amer. Nat. 58 (654):43-59. 

 Hays, F. A. 1927. The inheritance of persistency and its relation to fecundity. 



Proc. World's Poultry Cong. 92-95. 

 Hays, F. A. 1929. The inheritance of egg weight in the domestic fowl. Jour. 



Agr. Res. 38 (9):511-519. 

 Hays, F. A. 1930. Increase in egg weight during the pullet laying year. Poultry 



Sci. Assoc, Proc. of the Twenty-second Annual Meeting. 

 Hays, F. A. 1934. Time interval from first egg to standard egg weight in Rhode 



Island Red pullets. Mass. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 313. 



