3^4 Bulletin 258. 



completely renewed, while as late as December 30, there still remained 

 16.6% of the starved and 15.5% of the fed hens which were not in their 

 new coats. 



On the whole it may be said that from August 25 to October 23 the 

 starved flocks showed a larger percentage of individuals molting. After 

 that time, there was more molting among the fed hens, though both 

 flocks completed the molt at about the same time. The molt of the 

 starved flocks was more uniform, and the hens appeared in better physical 

 condition at the end of the molt, than the fed hens. This may have 

 been due to the fact that the fed hens had laid more eggs. After all 

 flocks had resumed production there was little, if any, difference in their 

 condition or appearance (Tables IV, V and VI and Figs. 14, 15, 18). 



Time required to grow feathers. 



It is variously asserted that the time required for the growth of a 

 body feather on a healthy fowl is approximately forty-two days, while 

 the time needed to develop the tail is somewhat longer. This refers 

 to plucked feathers. The usual molting period of a hen cannot, however, 

 be accurately calculated from this estimate. In the experiment under 

 consideration, the average time of complete molting in the six flocks, 

 containing at the end of the molting season 215 hens, was ninety-five 

 days (Tables IV, V and VI). The average time required to complete 

 the molt of the three-year-olds was nearly 104 days; of the two-year- 

 olds, about loi days, and of the one-year-olds, 82 days. The starved 

 one-year-olds averaged to molt more quickly by 33 days, than did the 

 fed; the starved two-year-olds were little affected; while the starved 

 three-year-olds averaged 20 days longer in molting than did the fed 

 birds. The average time required to complete the molt of the three 

 starved flocks was 93.8 days; of the three fed flocks 97.4 days. (Table 

 IV). 



All this would indicate that the molting process continues much 

 longer than is usually supposed, and that there is considerable variation 

 in the time of beginning the molt between different individuals, and 

 between flocks of different ages, also a wide variation in the length of 

 time it requires individuals to complete the molt. One is further im- 

 pressed with the fact, that, so far as this experiment is concerned, the 

 method of feeding did not materially alter the normal conditions of 

 molting, except with the one-year-old fowls. 



Following are opinions of competent authorities on the subject of 

 feather development. 



"I have found that the longer before the molting season you molt the 



