May, 1932] 



Economic Study of Poultry Farms 



3? 



hatch. Prices for the medium and small grades were not always avail- 

 able and in many instances were estimated. (Figure 15.) The medium 



70 

 68 

 66 



64 

 62 

 60 

 58 

 66 

 54 

 6? 

 50 

 48 

 46 

 44 



z ie 



£ 40 



3 36 

 ^ 36 



a 34 



& 32 



30 



J2 28 



5 26 

 O 24 

 22 

 20 

 18 

 ib 

 14 

 12 

 10 



a 

 6 



4 



z 

 o 



W Fl — ■ (*J (VJ •- "- M •" 6J W » «*J OJ --" 



1 \ I I Si 



-lOinpjdiLn (*J l £&MO><og,t^i<y ) iQ<*>e2iGr , t c 



2 



Figure 15 — Price curves for three grades of eggs froni June, 1929, to 

 September, 1930, based on Boston near-by hennery, brown, 

 quotations. (Due to incomplete market quotations, the 

 curves for the Numbers 2 and 3 grades were in part esti- 

 mated.) 



grade eggs run approximately 20% below the top grade in price, and 

 the small eggs approximately 40% below the top. 



It is a well known fact that birds hatched at different dates tend to 

 follow different curves in their production. These differences are par- 

 ticularly marked in the case of very early hatched birds as compared 

 with late hatched. Unfortunately, we were able to secure separate pro- 

 duction figures on birds of definite hatches from only nine lots of birds. 

 (In most cases, each lot represented a pen.) Comparison is complicated 

 by the fact that the birds were in different flocks, of different strains 

 and under different management and conditions. Accurate determina- 

 tion of the differences in production curves could only be obtained 

 through a large number of records. However, from the limited data 

 available typical production curves are plotted in Figure 16* for: (1) 

 December and January-hatched birds; (2) March birds; (3) May 

 hatched birds. 



1. Production Curve on Early Hatched Birds (December and January) 



In general, very early hatched birds produce heavily during July, 

 August and September of the first laying years, and usually go into a 

 partial molt the latter part of September or in October. Production is 

 low during the period October 1 to February 1. These birds, after their 



* The curves of production for the different dates of hatch as plotted are 

 the average weekly per cent production curves smoothed by hand. 



