400 



Bulletin 258. 



^ 



by the feeding, the late molting hens took less time to produce a new 

 coat of feathers than did those which molted earlier. 



Hens that molt early lay more early winter eggs. 

 The hens molting before September 15, began to lay 39 days after 

 the completion of the individual molt; those molting after September 

 15 began to lay in 43 days after they were completely refeathered. The 

 hens which molted before September 15 averaged 17 eggs each from 

 the completion of their individual molt to April 2nd, 1907, while those 

 molting later gave 14 eggs each in the same period. 



Hens that tnolt late lay more eggs during the year. 



Although the early molting hens laid more winter eggs, they did not 



lay more eggs during the 

 year. Those beginning to 

 molt before September 

 15th, averaged 103 eggs, 

 and those molting later 

 averaged 126 eggs. The 

 eight hens which, in 



1906, began to molt after 

 October ist, laid in that 

 year 142 eggs each. Two 

 of the eight hens died in 



1907, but the other six 

 gave 129 eggs each in 1907, 

 their third year of laying. 

 The best hen, Number 61, 

 laid 213 eggs in 1906 and 

 175 eggs in 1907, and was 

 the last one to molt in 

 1906 and 1907 (Figs. 19 

 and 20). Thus, the later 

 molting hens consumed 

 less time in molting, and 

 laid more eggs during the 



r 

 1- 



■•-*♦ 



Fig. 19. — Hen No. 61. In \full laying and not 

 molting, October 12, 1906. Record 2 it, eggs in 

 261 days, January 24 to October 12, 1906. 

 The best laying hen in the experiment and the 

 last one to molt. 



year; the early molting hens began to lay more quickly after molt, and 

 gave slightly greater winter production. 



The early molting hens averaged 3 eggs more in winter when eggs 

 were high than did the late molting hens. For 100 hens this would 

 mean 300 eggs, or 25 dozen. With eggs at 35.5c per dozen (average 



