The Egg-Laying Rhythm of Turkeys in Cages

PREVIOUS studies on the daily pattern of lay of turkeys in floor pens indicate a large percentage of eggs are laid during the afternoon hours (Stockton and Asmundson, 1950; Kosin and Abplanalp, 1951). The latter authors found that the time interval between successive ovipositions decreased with increase in size of egg sequence. They further reported that time of day when egg sequences are initiated is a good indicator of the laying pattern of the hen, since long-sequence layers usually begin their egg sequences early in the morning hours of the day. The usual method of timing ovipositions, as reported in the literature, consists of checking the trapnests hourly during the light hours of the work day. No reference is made to ovipositions that may have occurred prior to or after the light period. Since continuous-recording timing devices are now available (Wilson, 1962), time of lay over the entire 24-hour period…