Table 1. Frequency distribution of all Rhode Island Red pullets on basis of annual egg production.

Table 2. Summary of variation constants for annual egg production.

Table 3. Constants of variation in first year egg production of Rhode Island Reds at other places.

Table 4. Relative frequency of low and high producers in the nine contests.

Table 5. Distribution of total egg production by months and

years.

Table 6. Percentage distribution of total egg production by months and years.

Table 7.

Table 8.

Summary of monthly variation constants.

The seasonal distribution of egg production by

years.

Table 9. Monthly variation in the efficiency of egg production, nine year mean.

Table 10. Monthly distribution of total egg production by fecundity classes, nine years' records.

Table 11. Comparison of low, medium and high producing pullets on the basis of monthly distribution of egg production.

Table 12. Percentage of flock laying zero eggs in the separ

ate months.

Table 13. General trend of seasonal distribution of egg production 1911-1919.

APPENDIX TABLES

Table I. Annual frequency distributions of all Rhode Island Red pullets 1911-1919.

Table II. Frequency distribution of egg production in each month of the pullet year.

Table III. Values of the criterion Difference for determin

E Difference

ining significance of differences in mean annual egg production 1911-1919.

SUMMARY

The numbers of eggs laid by 1132 Rhode Island Red pullets each of which completed a full year's laying in the International Egg Laying Competitions at Storrs, Connecticut from 1911 to 1919 are reported and analysed in this bulletin.

A summary of the results follows:

1. Total number of eggs laid-173,855.

2. Average yearly egg production per bird-153.6.
3. Average winter egg production

(Nov. 1 to Feb. 28) 34.1.

4. Average spring egg production
(March 1 to May 31) 55.2.

5. Average, summer egg production
(June 1 to Aug. 31) 43.4.

6. Average autumn egg production.
(Sept. 1 to Oct. 31) 20.9.

7. Highest individual years' record-270 eggs.

8. Lowest individual years' record

0 eggs.

9. Average egg production in the Rhode Island Red pullets submitted to the contest has shown a tendency to increase slowly by about one egg a year.

10. Proportion of high producers

(those laying 210 eggs and more) 8.9%.

11. Proportion of low producers.

(those laying 104 eggs and less) 12.7%.

12. The proportion of high producers has shown a tendency to increase during the nine years of the contest. 13. The proportion of low producers has tended to remain

stationary, indicating that poor egg producing types are not being eliminated from the Rhode Island Reds entered in the contests.

14. The seasonal distribution of egg production has shown no tendency to change during the nine years.

INTRODUCTION

In the first bulletin of this series, (No. 117) the general plar of the series was outlined, and the data for the Wyandotte breed considered. Here it need only be repeated that it is intended (1) to summarize the first year egg laying records made by all of the fowls of the four principal breeds entered in the first nine International Egg Laying Contests at Storrs (1911-1919) and (2) to study these records statistically. All of the data have been obtained from carefully kept trapnest records of individual pullets. Only those fowls completing a full contest years' record are included. For further details the reader is referred to Bulletin 117 pp. 23 to 31.

In the nine contests there have been entered 1295 Rhode Island Reds and 30 Rhode Island Whites. These two color varieties have been considered together as members of the same breed, for which the total entries have therefore been 1325. These birds came from 70 different poultry farms or breeders located as follows:

The following table gives the number of pens* submitted by each breeder.

"There were five pullets per pen in the contests of 1911 and 1912, and ten pullets per pen in all other contests.

Each contest extended from Nov. 1 to the following October 29-31. In this bulletin, each contest is referred to by the year in which it began; thus the 1919 contest began Nov. 1, 1919 and ended on October 29. 1920.

The geographical source of these fowls and the large number of breeders represented indicates that the material probably represents a fair sample of birds of this breed as raised for egg production on the farms and in commercial yards in the Northeastern United States.

TABLE 1a

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF ALL RHODE ISLAND RED PULLETS ON BASIS OF ANNUAL EGG PRODUCTION.

1911-1919.

This table is a condensation of the data presented in Appendix Table I, grouped for convenience into fifteen egg classes. It is to be read as follows: Column 1, in 1911 one pullet laid between 30 and 44 eggs; one pullet laid between 60 and 74 eggs; four pullets laid between 90 and 104 eggs apiece; etc.

Of the 1325 birds submitted, the normal first year laying records of 1132 are available for study. The remaining 193 represent those which died, or were disqualified or for which the records were omitted as incomplete.

VARIATION IN ANNUAL EGG PRODUCTION

The raw material for a study of the annual egg production of these Rhode Island Reds is given in Appendix Table I. In this table will be found the ungrouped frequency distribution of all the pullets whose records are to be used in this study, summarized by years. From the table it is evident that this group of pullets although selected for entry in a laying contest includes all possible grades of fecundity, for the variation in individual annual egg production is almost continuous from zero to 270 eggs. There is no evidence indicating that the single bird which laid no eggs during the contest year was abnormal and her record is therefore included.

TABLE 1b

PERCENTAGE FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF ALL RHODE ISLAND RED PULLETS ON BASIS OF ANNUAL EGG PRODUCTION. 1911-1919.

Eggs laid 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1911-19

165-179

180-194

210-224 3.6

225-239

1.8

240-254

1.8 3.2

255-269

7.1 19.7 11.7 124 14.2 12.8′ 11.6' 21.4 9.7 5.5 13.6 12.0 17.0 14.7 195-209 5.3 8.1 62 10.0 6.0 9.0 5.4 88 8.7 7.7 .8 4.7 4.4 43 7.0 2.2 7.9 42 .8 1.8 3.8 37 2.3 3.3 48 2.7 2.2 1.1 .8 2.2 3.2 .6 1.6 1.1! .8

99

9.5

12.1

6.6 127

12.6

1.4

.5

270-284

.1

Total

99.9 99.9 99.9 100.0 99.8 99.9 99.8 100.1 99.9 99.7

Columns 11-20 to be read: In 1911 1.8% of the total pullets laid between 30 and 44 eggs, etc. The class in which the mean falls is designated in each year by the frequency printed in bold type. The model class, i. e. the class of greatest frequency, can be roughly determined by inspection.