Temperature and Its Effect on Egg Size in the Domestic Fowl

Abstract

SEVERAL investigators have shown that there is considerable variation in the size of eggs produced by a domestic fowl. The manner in which different factors react on the bird to influence the size of the egg, the components of the egg most susceptible to change, and the length of time required for the various factors to influence the size of the egg have not been fully determined. There is some difference of opinion among investigators as to the fluctuations in egg weight during the first year of production. Maw and Maw (1932) and Atwood (1928) reported that there is a gradual increase in the weight of eggs of pullets during their entire first year of production. Hays (1930) has shown that pullets reach their maximum egg weight in February and decrease during the spring and summer. These seasonal fluctuations in egg size in various parts of the United States may . . .