24 BULLETIN 561, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The average weight of the eggs is highest in the early spring months, 

 with a gradual decrease in weight to the period of lowest averages, 

 which occur during the summer months. The average weight of a 

 dozen eggs for Pens 1 to 6 was 1.53 pounds during the first year 

 (1912 to 1913), 1.60 pounds for the second year, and 1.63 pounds 

 during the third year. The production of larger eggs during the 

 early spring months and during the second and third as compared 

 with the first year is thought to account in part for the larger and 

 stronger chickens which are said to be procured during the early 

 spring months and from mature stock. It is not apparent that the 

 different rations affected the weight of the eggs except in Pens 9 

 and 15, where no beef scrap was fed, and in Pen 16, which had only 

 a very small percentage of beef scrap. The eggs from Pen 9 were 

 smaller throughout the year than from the other general-purpose 

 pens during then first laying year, and averaged 0.05 of a pound less 

 per dozen with a similar difference in weight during their second 

 year. The eggs in Pens 15 and 16 were very small. These pens 

 were fed on a ration containing cottonseed meal and the hens did 

 not eat enough feed to produce normal results. This feature is dis- 

 cussed more in detail on page 13. The increased size of the Leghorn 

 eggs from Pens 7 and 8 in 1914, compared with Pen 4 in 1913, goes 

 with the increased weight of the fowls as shown in Table 10, and 

 may be due to the introduction of new blood and to the selection of 

 larger fowls for breeding. The eggs in Pen 8 on free range weighed 

 about the same as those from Pen 7 confined during their first year, 

 but were 0.06 of a pound per dozen heavier in their second year, 

 apparently owing to free range and a greater percentage of beef 

 scrap in the ration. 



The average weight of the eggs during the period of low production 

 (fall and early winter) is subject to error during the first two years' 

 work, as it may have been greatly affected by a few individual hens 

 or by the cumulative error in reading the weight of only one or 

 two eggs. To eliminate this latter error during the period of low 

 production the eggs were held until six had accumulated before 

 being weighed in the succeeding experiments. When the egg pro- 

 duction during a four-week period is less than 36 eggs no weight is cal- 

 culated for that period, which accounts for the blanks in Tables 5, 

 5a, and 5b. 



DISTRIBUTION OF EGG PRODUCTION. 



Tables 6, 6a, and 6b show the percentage of egg production for 13 

 periods of 4 weeks in each year for all pens. This is calculated on 

 the basis of the maximum, or 100 per cent, being equal to one egg per 

 hen per day. The average percentage of production for two and for 

 three years are also given. The periods are arranged to make them 



