HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Haines, G. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Haines, G.

The Relation between Size of Litter, Weights and Mortality in the Guinea Pig¹

Office of Experiment Stations, U. S. D. A.

Abstract

In determining indices for various measurable characteristics related to fertility in the guinea pig, from a study of the records of over 30,000 individuals, born from 1906 to 1924, in the several families in the.inbreeding experiment of the Division of Animal Husbandry, at Beltsville, Md., it was apparent that size of litter had such an important influence on many of the characteristics, that its influence must be taken into account. The present paper deals with these relationships, and gives the correction factors which were calculated and used to eliminate the effect of size of litter on weights and mortality percentages in calculating monthly indices. There were relatively large numbers of litters of all sizes from 1 to 6, but as there were only 19 litters of 7 and 3 litters of 8, and because of their variability, litters of 7 and 8 were not included in fitting the observed values. The average size of litter was 2.583 ± .0041.

¹ Acknowledgment:

The data on which this paper is based are the property of the Division of Animal Husbandry, United States Department of Agriculture, of which Mr. E. W. Sheets is Chief. The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to the Division for permission to use the data, and for the use of tabulating and calculating equipment as well as for other assistance. He is particularly indebted to Dr. Sewall Wright, now of the University of Chicago, for suggesting and directing the study; and to Dr. H. C. McPhee of the Division of Animal Husbandry and Dr. DeVoe Meade of the University of Maryland for suggestions and help.

The paper is condensed from a portion of a thesis to be presented to the University of Maryland in partial fulfillment of the requirements toward an advanced degree.