Relation of Time of Laying to Hatchability

HUTT (1930) reported that eggs laid before 9 a.m. showed a tendency to hatch better than did eggs laid in the afternoon. He concluded that this difference was due to the fact that a large proportion of the eggs laid before 9 a.m. contained embryos which had developed beyond gastrulation, one of the critical stages, and, therefore, were less susceptible to the effects of chilling than were eggs laid in the afternoon. Since the question raised was one of scientific and practical interest, the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station during the last three hatching seasons has collected data and studied the problem under Missouri conditions. COLLECTION OF DATA All eggs laid were marked for pedigreeing with a different colored pencil each time the hens were removed from the trap nest. During cold weather the eggs were gathered as the attendant “ran” the trapnests, otherwise the eggs were stored in the grain . . .