Orientation of the Hen’s Egg in the Uterus and During Laying

ORIENTATION of the egg in the oviduct and during the act of laying may have a bearing on the production of the “egg bound” condition which is a major factor in the death of laying hens. Benesch (1922), Pittler (1924), and Fleischhauer (1926) have studied egg orientation from this standpoint. It has been suggested that when eggs are laid large end first or when they are turned during passage through the oviduct they are more apt to cause the eggbound condition. Before it is possible to evaluate this hypothesis, it is essential to know the relative frequency with which eggs are laid large end first and of the turning of eggs during the act of laying. The authors’ particular reason for conducting this study is the possible bearing uterine orientation and laying position have on hatching position of chicks. It will be shown in a subsequent paper that eggs found . . .