94 maine agricultur-\l experiment station. i905. 



Investigations Relating to Breeding to Increase Egg 

 Production in Hens. 



SUMMARY OF results OBTAINED. 



In order to select good producing hens for foundation breed- 

 ing stock, vre constructed 52 trap nests and placed them in the 

 laying pens where 140 April and May hatched pullets com- 

 menced using them November i, 1898. 



In one j^ear forward from that date the 140 birds laid an 

 average of 120 eggs each. Twent\^-five laid over 160 each and 

 2.2, less than 100 each. Hen No. 36 laid 201 eggs ; No. loi laid 

 204; and No. 286 laid 206 eggs. The eggs of No. 36 were light 

 in color and she was therefore rejected as a breeder. 



At the commencement of the next breeding season, — 1900 — 

 Nos. loi and 286 were mated with males that were unrelated to 

 them, or to each other. The cockerels raised from the eggs of 

 these two birds were the first m.ales produced for use in this 

 work. 



In the early spring of 1901, several sons of hen No. 286, raised 

 the pre\!ious 3'ear, were mated with the 24 tw^o-year-old hens 

 that laid 160 eggs and over, each, during 1899, and 25 others that 

 laid 160 or over during the 1900 test. That season hen No. 

 303, who had laid 208 eggs during 1900, was bred to a son of 

 286. Hen No. 326 had laid 211 eggs during 1900 and she was 

 bred to a son of No. 286 also. No. 318 had laid 237 good brown 

 eggs in 1900. After she had laid 200 eggs the next dozen she 

 laid weighed i ib. 11^ ounces. She was bred to a son of No. 

 loi that season. The sons of No. loi and 286 were in ser\ace 

 only during the year 1901. 



During 1902 one hundred pullets were tested for additional 

 foundation stock. They fielded an average of 132 eggs each. 

 TvN-elve birds laid over 200 eggs each ; the highest number being 

 251 eggs laid by hen No. 617. In the same pens were six others 

 that laid only from 23 to 70 eggs each. Thirt}'-seven laid over 

 160 each. No hens were used as breeders that had not laid 160 

 eggs, and all, as in the pre\nous year, vrere bred to males whose 

 dams had )-ielded over 200 eggs. 



Males were raised this year, (1902) for the male breeding 

 pens of the next year, from hens No. 635, record 201 eggs, and 



