101) POULTRY PRODUCTION 



it to say that the fundamental selection is tliat of the parents. 

 It far outweighs every other consideration. 



Beyond this it is well that the eggs from desirable breeders 

 should be normal in every observable characteristic, and of 

 the size and color Tuost demanded I.)y the market catered to. 

 It should be noted in this connection that I'liilips' and 

 Atwood- ha\'c independently come to the conclusion that 

 brown eggs arc more dilHcult to hatch than white ones. 

 No eggs should be incubated wliich weigh less than two 

 ounces. The twenty-four-ounce dozen and the case of 

 thirty dozen weighing forty-five pounds net are the gener- 

 ally accepted standards, l)elow which eggs are not considered 

 first class. 



They should be uniform in size, shape, and color; free from 

 ridges, excrescences, or weak shells. The practice of hatching 

 abnormal eggs tends to increase the lack of that uniformity 

 which is so desiral)le from every stand-point, because pullets 

 hatched from small or odd-shaped eggs are likely to produce 

 abnormal eggs in turn. 



Philii)s-^ found as a rcsidt of four seasons work during 

 which se\eral thousand chicks were hatched, that on the aver- 

 age it took l.So eggs to hatch one Legliorn chick, and 4.57 

 eggs to produce a twenty-four weeks old Legliorn pullet. 

 With the heavier breeds under average management condi- 

 tions it will be safe to allow at least se\"cn or eight eggs for 

 each mature pullet desired. 



Predetermining Fertility and Sex. — The manifest advantage 

 of being able to ascertain whether an egg is fertile and if 

 hatched what the sex of the chick will be, by an external 

 examination, is so great that it has led to much speculation. 

 Out of this speculation ha\'e grown "sure methods" of accom- 

 plishing it. Needless to say these "methods" are unsup- 

 ported by experimental evidence, and are practically worth- 

 less. The one which is given widest credence is that the shape 

 of the shell is an indication of the sex of chick that will 

 result if the egg is hatched. It has long since been found that 

 the long, narrow eggs po])ularly credited with hatching only 



' Jour. \m. Assn, Inst, and Iinest. in Poul. Hu^li , \-.il. ni, Xo 9. 

 ' West Virginia Circular, No. 2.5. 3 Purdue Bulletin, No. 19U. 



