EGG PRODUCTION. 55 



birds were apparently included at the beginning of the experi- 

 ment as "registered" hens "by courtesy." * 



4. It will be seen from the totals of the table that 33 mother 

 birds produced 217 pullets. This is at the average rate of 6.6 

 pullets per mother. If it be assumed that the sex ratio in fowls 

 is approximately equal to unity or, in other words, that males 

 are as likely to be produced as females, this means that the 

 average production of viable offspring per mother for these 

 registered hens during the breeding season was 13.2 birds. 

 No record was kept to show how many eggs were involved in 

 the production of these birds. 



5. The average egg production of the mothers omitting the 

 two birds (Nos. iii and 614) which have no record is 201.8 

 eggs per bird. This average indicates that the non-uniformity of 

 mothers described in paragraph 3 above does not in any essen- 

 tial way aftect the point of the experiment. The birds used as 

 mothers, all taken together, averaged slightly more than 200 

 eggs apiece in their pullet years. Transferring to relative fig- 

 ures * it appears that the mother's average egg production for 

 the year was 55.3 per cent,t (201.8 X 100^-^365. 



6. Turning now from a consideration of the mothers' gross 

 total records to the records made in particular seasons of the 

 year it is seen that the registered mother hens involved in the 

 experiment averaged to lay 55.80 eggs per bird between 

 November i and March i of the pullet year. This is, of course, 

 an excellent winter egg record. Transferring from absolute 

 to relative figures it is found that 55.80 eggi, between November 

 I and March i correspond to a percentage egg production of 

 46.5 per cent. It will be noted that this is a lower percentage 

 record than that of these same birds in tlieir total yearly pro- 

 duction (55.3 per cent from paragraph 5 above). 



7. The egg production of the registered mother hens in the 

 spring months (March i to June i) is seen to average 59.13 



* It will be recalled (cf. p. 49 supra) that this experiment had 

 been under way 8 months before the writers of this bulletin took charge 

 of it. They therefore cannot be held responsible for the points noted 

 in paragraphs i, 2 and 3. 



* According to the rule given in Me. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bulletin No. 165. 

 t This figure is of some interest as indicating what a relatively small 



proportion of the theoretically maximum character is being selected to, 

 when 200 eggs birds are bred. 



