POULTRY NOTES — 1909. 



99 



were as promising looking a lot when they came from the incu- 

 bators as any hatched during the season. They were a strong 

 and vigorous flock. No one of them, so far as we know, died 

 from an infectious disease, like white diarrhoea. Yet practically 

 every chick in this hatch died, and that within four weeks of 

 hatching. They were fed by a man without any previous ex- 

 perience in feeding Barred Rock chickens under our conditions 

 of brooding, etc. In spite of repeated instructions the birds 

 were over fed to the point where it became impossible to save 

 any of them. The efTect of this one hatch on the total mortality 

 records is shown in Table 9. 



Table 9. 



Shouing the Sex Ratio and Mortality Records of Chicks, with 

 the Hatch of April 21, ipop, Omitted. 



Mating. 



Total chicks. 



Chicks died. 



Percentage 

 mortality. 





cf 9 



d 



9 



^ 9 



Barred Rock ^ x Cornish $ 



88 

 116 

 506 



51 



84 

 114 

 548 



56 



31 

 ■'5 



25 



SI 



35 

 22 

 18 

 39 



30 



Cornish (j x Barred Rock $ 



•>7 



Barred Rock j x Barred Rock ? 



Cornish ^f x Cornish 9 



90 81 

 •>0 1S 



15 

 23 











The great reduction of mortality, especially among the Ply- 

 mouth Rocks, is apparent. More than a half of the total mor- 

 tality of the whole season among Plymouth Rock chicks resulted 

 from this one hatch. 



6. Taking the corrected figures of Table 9 as a basis it 

 appears to be the case (a) that hybrid chicks from Cor- 

 nish eggs (mating B. P. R. J^ x C. L G. $) showed about the 

 same percentage mortality as pure Cornish chicks; and (b) that 

 hybrid chicks from Barred Rock eggs (mating C. T. G. (-T x 

 B. P. R. 5) showed about the same percentage mortality as pure 

 15arred Rock chicks; and (c) that the mortality of all chicks 

 whether from hybrid or pure Cornish eggs was greater than 

 that of all chicks of corresponding matings frc^m Barred Rock 

 eggs. The uncorrected figures of Tables 7 and 8 show the 

 same general trend, though with some differences in detail as 

 is to be ex])ected. 



