8 Poultry Bulletin 



Had the yeast feeding started along in January the probability is that 

 the 10% drop in fertility experienced during February with the 15% drop 

 in hatchability could have been eliminated. These results were so definite 

 and apparent that at their conclusion the data was submitted to the 

 Fleischmann Yeast Company for their inspection and observation, with 

 the result that an additional and somewhat more elaborate test was run 

 during November 1924. The object of the second test being first to run 

 a check on the spring experiment and second to try to ascertain, if pos- 

 sible, the reasons why yeast functions in this very definite way. 



THE FALL EXPERIMENT 



It has been the practice at Lewis Farms for a number of years to bring 

 off a rather substantial hatch of chicks in November and utilize extensive 

 brooder equipment throughout the winter to brood these chicks and mar- 

 ket them the first of February as squab broilers. During the fall test two 

 lots of three hundred early hatched pullets were used. The birds were 

 Single Comb White Leghorns. They were hatched February 9, 1924, the 

 eggs being saved the last three days in October and the first five days in 

 November. All of these six hundred birds had been under lights since 

 September 15 and had been giving a very satisfactory egg yield. In fact, 

 they laid so long and so heavily that at the time the eggs were saved the 

 majority of the birds were heavily bleached in shank and beaks and were 

 free from any excess amount of body fat. Yearling cock birds were mated 

 to the pens. 



Pen 101 received a yeast fermented moist mash which had been fer- 

 mented with Fleischmann's Dry Feed Yeast added at the rate of Yi of 

 1%. Pen 102 received no yeast whatsoever. In addition to this moist 

 mash each pen received a standard New Jersey Dry Mash and scratch 

 feed fed in deep litter. On November 5, 750 eggs from the yeast fed pen 

 were set in five sections of a Newtown Giant Incubator and 600 eggs laid 

 during the same period by the non-yeast fed pen were set in four sections 

 of the same incubator. Care was taken to alternate the trays in the incu- 

 bator so as to eliminate as far as possible any temperature or incubator 

 influence. The incubator ran throughout the hatch very uniformly. The 

 following table No. 2 shows the distribution of the yeast and non-yeast 

 trays with the resulting percent of fertile eggs, dead germs, and healthy 

 chicks taken from each tray, also the weight of the chicks from each tray 

 as well as designating toe punch used in marking the various chicks. 



