678 



EXPERIMENTAL FA RMS 



4 GEORGE V., A. 1914 



The effect of the restricted ration on pen 3 was to entirely stop the egg yield by 

 July 15, but the recovery from the moult was more rapid than in the instance of 

 pen 4 and, consequently, the greater number of eggs were secured in the early fall, 

 or the months of limited supplies. 



Towards the end of the starvation period, or about July 25, the starved pen 

 showed distinctly by the appearance of the birds and the number of moulted feathers 

 in the pen and runs, that the method of forcing the moult by reduced ration and 

 starvation had been successful. 



It was also noted that about two weeks after the 'starved' pen had returned to 

 full ration the hens were still ravenous for their feed, and cleaned it up quicker than 

 those hens in ' fed ' pen. 



This was no doubt due to the fact that they were ahead of ' fed ' pen in process 

 of moulting and growing new feathers. 



By August 29 fifty per cent of the hens in the 'starved' pen were again laying. 

 Only 14-4 per cent in ' fed ' pen were laying. 



This experiment was discontinued after the months that high prices prevailed, 

 as the pens were needed for other work. 



The result shows a fair increase, and it is intended to carry on the experiment 

 in the near future, giving careful consideration to the fertility of eggs in the spring, 

 in ' starved ' and ' fed ' pens, and the stamina of the bird? in both pens at the end 

 cf experiment. 



FEEDING CAPONS AND COCKERELS. 



On December 4, 1012, fourteen capons and fourteen cockerels were placed in two 

 pens side by side and, though it was not intended as an experiment, the results are 

 interesting. 



None of the birds was first-class; they were too late to make breeders and, like 

 most late birds, not as thrifty as the early hatched. They were Rocks, Orpingtons 

 and Wyandottes. 



The capons, as well as the cockerels, were allowed to run until shut in on 

 December 4. 



The feed was whole grain (wheat and oats) in the morning - , bone and beets 

 (alternately) at noon, and at night a wet mash composed of two parts corn meal, 

 one part shorts, and one part ground oats. They were given all they would eat of 

 this mash. No account was kept of the weight of the feed eaten. Both lots ate 

 heartily, and did well on the feed. The gains, however, are by no means large, and 

 the table is given to show the relative average gains, the capons gaining 50 per cent 

 more than the cockerels. 



Table showing the average gains of cockerels and capons fed in pens for two months 



and ten days. 



