4^4 BULLETIX 258. 



(2;^) Broodiness was greatest in the two-year-olds and least in the 

 three-year-olds. 



(24) It was noticeable that broodiness was nearly always confined 

 to a few individuals, and that, although immediately broken up, they 

 became broody again and again. 



(25) The fact that there was 67.6 per cent of broodiness in starved 

 pens against 38.1 per cent in the fed pens would indicate that there might 

 be some connection between the amount of food consumed and broodi- 

 ness in fowls. In this case a restriction in diet appeared to induce 

 broodiness. 



(26) It was noticeable with all flocks that they consumed much 

 larger quantities of food and increased in weight before beginning egg- 

 production. This would seem to indicate that the inaximum production 

 is preceded by a preparatory stage, during which the body stores up 

 surplus nutrients against a time of need. 



The above findings are based on this experiment only and must not 

 be understood to be necessarily conclusive. 



General conclusions. 



The findings would indicate that with the methods employed, with 

 White Leghorn fowls, one, two or three years old, it does not pay to 

 "force a molt," by starvation method and that apparently it is good 

 policy to encourage hens, by good care and feeding, to lay during late 

 summer and fall, rather than to resort to unusual means to stop laying 

 in order to induce an early molt, with the hope of increasing productive- 

 ness during early winter, a season which is naturally unfavorable for egg- 

 production. In short, it appears wise, when hens want to lay, to let 

 them lay. 



This experiment should be repeated under similar conditions with 

 the same variety or with different varieties of fowls before final conclu- 

 sions can be drawn. Molting experiments should also be conducted 

 with various methods of feeding to control the molt before the method 

 of so-called "forcing molt" can be safely accepted or rejected. 



