Fertility and Hatchability as Affected by Meat and Blood Spots

THERE is a wide range in the incidence of egg inclusions in various commercial lines as shown by the report of the Fourth Wisconsin Random Sample Test (1959). It was felt that differences in fertility and hatchability may be due, in part at least, to the presence of egg inclusions in hatching eggs. Data were collected over a number of years on the University of Wisconsin flock in such a manner as to check this possible relationship. Data to be reported here was obtained during a five-year period (1954 through 1958) for five different breeds of dual-purpose chickens and during a four-year period (1955 through 1958) for four different non-inbred White Leghorn lines and twelve different inbred White Leghorn lines. All eggs set during this period were candled by one of us (W.H.M.) with a “Shadowlite Candler” using a 32 candlepower bulb. All eggs were pedigreed and those…