Post Embryonic Growth in Relation to Egg Weight

THE close dependence of chick hatching weight on egg weight has been reported by many investigators (Upp, 1926; Galpin, 1938; Kosin et al., 1952). It has been generally conceded however, that the initial influence of egg size on chick size is short-lived and has no important effect on subsequent growth and could for all practical purposes be ignored. Goodwin (1961) however, has described the initial effect of egg weight on subsequent growth as being cumulative and has suggested that the influence of hatching egg size on market weight is of sufficient magnitude to be of practical importance in the broiler industry. To the extent that egg size effects on growth are environmental (e.g., due to age or season) the adequacy of random sample broiler tests and even experimental breeding and research investigations designed to reveal genetic differences in growth might also be questioned. Since further information on these egg size…