Week 4 of the Soay lamb gender split: better but still not good
Remember the notion that the larger the dataset for lambs, the more likely the split will hover around 50%? And the corollary that as the dataset grows, the percentage of ewe lambs should move towards 50% whether it started above or below that figure?
Here are the numbers for Week 4:
[table th=”0″ colalign=”center|center|center|center|center|center|center”]
2014 Saltmarsh Ranch British Soay Lamb Gender Split [attr colspan=”6″ style=”font-weight: bold;”]
Week, Total Lambs, # Ewe Lambs, # Ram Lambs, weekly % ewe lambs, cumulative % ewe lambs
1, 1, 0, 1, 0%, 0%
2, 5, 1, 4, 20%, 17%
3, 12, 5, 7, 42%, 33%
4, 16, 8, 8, 50%, 41%
[/table]
We almost certainly will not make it to 50% this year, alas. At least the numbers are trending upward towards 50% as the total grows. Still and all, I would cheerfully sacrifice statistical niceties for a few more ewe lambs out there. And Sarah P hasn’t called, either.
For now …