3/6 



Bulletin 258. 



the pens when the experiment was begun.) Each pen had, also, in the scratching 

 shed, 2.75 square feet floor space, .6 square feet cloth or glass surface, and 23 

 cubic feet air space per fowl. Flocks 24 and 25 each had 4.4 square feet floor space, 

 .29 square feet cloth or glass surface, and 37.6 cubic feet air space per hen. The 

 three-year-old hens (pens 5 and 8) and two-year-old hens (pens 19 and 22) were 

 in houses having double boarded, solid walls. The one-year-old hens (pens 24 

 and 25) were in a double walled house with dfead air space stuffed with straw and 

 with a straw loft. It was exceptionally warm, and so close as to be objectionable. 



An effort was 

 made to provide 

 all flocks with 

 fresh air by having 

 the windows open 

 much of the time 

 by day, and cloth 

 frames in the 

 windows during 

 the night. 



While the house 

 conditions were 

 slightly different 

 between the pens 

 of the three-year- 

 olds (pens 5 and 

 8), two-year-olds 

 (pens 19 and 22), 

 and one-year-olds 

 (pens 24 and 25), 

 the pens occupied 

 by the fowls of 

 the same age were 

 similar. 



Flocks 5 and 8 

 (three -year -olds) 

 were allowed to 

 run in similar 

 yards with limited 



grass forage. The other flocks had constant access when out of doors to alfalfa 

 pasturage. All flocks were confined to the pens during November, December, 

 January and February. 



Methods of feeding. 



The attempt to force the molt was by means of restricting the amount of food, 

 rather than by changing the quality of the ration. The starvation period lasted 

 for four weeks. In the first week, the amount of food was gradually reduced to 

 one-half the usual quantity. In the following two weeks, about one-third rations 

 were fed, which were gradually increased in the fourth week till, at its close 

 the flocks which had been starved were given all they would eat. 



Three flocks were fed in the usual way and the other three Hocks were given a 

 similar ration, but in limited (luantity. Tlie three flocks that were given the 



Fig. 12. — Heavy molt. A White Leghorn hen in full molt. 

 Note the feather tracts as compared to figs. 5, 6, 7. 



