The Time Factor in Egg Production

THE sequence in the time of laying of successive eggs in clutches of various sizes is used as a test of the accuracy of trap-nest records by inspectors in poultry record of performance work. Atwood (1929) observed that there was a high degree of regularity with which birds lay later and later in the day on succeeding days. He stated that if a bird had laid on successive days in the time sequence of 8 a.m.—10 a.m. —11 a.m.—12 m.—1 p.m. and then on the day following the last record an inspector should trap that particular bird at 9 a.m., the inspector would know quite definitely that the record for the preceding day was wrong. Atwood’s observations were made during the month of August in two successive years on a flock of White Leghorns fed normally. It seemed of value to determine whether such factors as age, . . .