34 BULLETIN 561, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
each) , beginning November l,are as follows: 61,49, 44, 38.5, 31.5, 24.5, 
23.5, 24, 27.5, 30.5, 35, 39, and 49 cents, with an average monthly 
price for the year of 36.7 cents. However, farmers do not usually 
receive the prices quoted for "nearby" eggs, the best of their eggs 
being sold as "firsts." The quotations for "firsts" shipped to the 
New York market were as follows for the corresponding periods, be- 
ginning November 1: 40, 39, 35.5, 31, 30.5, 20.5, 20.5, 21.5, 22.5, 23.5, 
25, 27.5, and 29 cents, or a monthly average of 28.2 cents. Using 
the latter figures, the average value over feed cost of eggs produced in 
1912-1913 (their pullet year) in Pens 1 to 6 was $1.51, against $2.56 
for nearby eggs, and 93 cents, against $1.41 in 1913-1914 (their sec- 
ond year). The average figured on this quotation for Pens 7 to 9 in 
1914 would be $1.80, as against $2.47 for the nearby eggs. It would 
be necessary for a poultryman to secure the prices quoted on nearby 
eggs in order to make a fair profit on the basis of the feed costs given 
in this bulletin. 
BROODINESS IN FOWLS. 
Broodiness has a material bearing on egg production. In this work 
the broody hens were removed to small crates to break up their de- 
sire to sit. The number of times that hens in each pen were put into 
the broody coops is shown in Table 2. The length of time that the 
hens were thus confined varied from 3 to 10 days. Pen 5 contained 
the largest number of broody hens, there having been 111 instances 
in 1913, 82 in 1914, and 46 in 1915. Pen 3, which had the next high- 
est number, contained 14 Buff Orpingtons, among which broodiness 
was much more frequent than among the 16 Rhode Island Reds 
which made up the rest of the pen. The 11 Orpingtons which were 
in the pen throughout the year (1912-1913) became broody 56 times, 
an average of 5.2 times per hen, against 1.7 times per hen among the 
Rhode Island Reds. Five of the Rhode Island Reds did not become 
broody during the year, while all the Orpingtons were broody at least 
three times. This undoubtedly lowered the egg yield materially in 
Pen 3. Two or more of the Orpingtons were broody during every 
month of the year except November, while practically all of the 
broodiness among the Rhode Island Reds occurred between the end 
of March and the first of August. The proportion of Orpingtons in 
the other pens was comparatively small, but this same tendency to 
excessive broodiness has been noted in practically all the Buff Or- 
pingtons used at the farm. 
The broodiness in Pen 1 (Rhode Island Reds) in the hens which 
lived through the year (1912-13) was 2.3 tunes per hen, which was 
more than that of the Rhode Island Reds in Pen 3. The Barred 
Plymouth Rocks in Pen 5 were broody more times than hens of this 
breed in any of the other pens. The greatest broodiness occurred in 
