DIYISLOX OF POULTRY 



677 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Pen 3 hereafter called ' starved ' pen. 



Pen 4 hereafter called ' fed ' pen. 



The method attempted to force the moult on pen 3 by reducing the ration : — 



July 1 to 7 inclusive, full ration reduced 25 per cent or to three-fourths the usual 

 quantity of feed required by 14 hens. 



July 8 to 10, inclusive, ration reduced to one-half the amount of feed required 

 by 14 hens. 



July 11 to 13, inclusive, ration reduced 75 per cent, i.e., the pen only received 

 cue-fourth of the usual quantity required by 14 hens. 



July 14 to 15, inclusive, starved. No feed of any kind, but plenty of fresh 

 clean water kept before the birds all the time. 



July 16 to 13, inclusive, one-fourth of the usual quantity fed to 14 hens. 



July 19 to 21, inclusive one-half of the usual quantity fed to 14 hens. 



July 22 to 27, inclusive, three-fourths of the usual quantity fed to 14 hens. 



July 28, full ration, same as pen 4. 



Table showing quantity fed Pen 3 during reduced ration period. 



On reaching the ' full ration ' period, pen 3 received the same quantity of whole 

 grain, night and morning, as pen 4 had been fed all along, and were also given dry 

 mash in hopper kept open all the time. 



Hoppers contained dry mash composed of one part shorts, one part ground 

 barley, one part gluten meal, 10 per cent charcoal, 10 per cent beef scraps; grit 

 and oyster shells in proportion of two parts shell to one part grit. 



Fresh clean water before both pens always. 



.Table showing falling off and advance in number of eggs laid by hens in 

 ' starved' and ' fed' pens, before and after forced moulting: — 



June 



July 



August 



September , 



October 



November. . 

 December . . 

 January. . . 

 February. . . 



Month. 



Total 



Fed. 



146 

 58 

 36 

 21 

 3 

 

 25 

 57 

 65 



411 



