108 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



mating and fertility (that) in one case a chick was produced 

 from an egg laid seventy-two hours after mating." 



Waite' found that where twenty Single Comb White 

 Leghorn pullets were mated, 50 per cent, of the eggs laid 

 on the third day (less than fifty-four hours after mating) 

 were fertile and 70 per cent, were fertile on the fourth day. 



In mating eighteen Rhode Island Red pullets and one 

 White Plymouth Rock cockerel, he found that the four 

 eggs laid on the seventh day were all fertile. In still another 

 test with these same breeds, eight eggs laid on the eighth 

 day were all fertile. 



In what are perhaps the most extensive records available, 

 Sherwood^ reports tests with five pens of Barred Plymouth 

 Rock hens, eleven pens of Barred Plymouth Rock pullets, 

 and three pens of White Leghorn hens. Each pen contained 

 from twelve to fifteen females, and the tests were started 

 during the first two weeks in March. The males were dropped 

 in the p^ns between three and four o'clock in the afternoon 

 and the days numbered beginning the following day. In 

 no case were any fertile eggs laid on the first day following 

 the mating, but with all three classes of birds at least one 

 fertile egg was laid on the second day following. The Barred 

 Rock hens laid three fertile eggs out of a total of fourteen 

 laid on the second day. The White Leghorn hens produced 

 three fertile eggs out of eight eggs laid the second day, 

 while the Barred Rock pullets produced seven fertile eggs 

 out of a total of sixty-nine eggs laid the second day. 



By a study of Table XIII it will be seen that fertility was 

 well established with the Leghorn hens by the fourth day; 

 with the Plymouth Rock hens by the seventh day; while 

 it was not well established with the pullets for nearly two 

 weeks. 



In Table XIV is given the record of twenty-six Single 

 Comb White Leghorn females with reference to the actual 

 number of hours elapsing between mating and the laying 

 of the first fertile egg. As soon as any hen had mated she 



' Maryland Bulletin No. 157. 



* Unpublished data, Ohio Experiment Station. 



