3IO 



Bulletin ^49. 



Molting. 



The molting during the first two periods of the experiment was 

 mostly of chick-feathers, but the dry mash and grain fed hens and the 

 hand-fed grain hens molted more. They also shed more at the beginning 

 of the molting season of 1907. During the early part of the experiment 

 the wet mash and grain fed hens molted least as they did also at the close. 



The two hopper-fed flocks showed no molt for three months — April, 

 May and June. The two hand-fed flocks shed no feathers during April 

 and May. Fig. 127. 



Wet Mash »»»»»»»»»»♦ 



Dry Mash- 



PenTi. 

 -Pen 2. 



Hand-fed Grain Pen 3. , 



Hopper-fed Grain Pen 4. I 



Fig. 127. — Methods of forcing and retarding. A comparison of molting. 



Notice that during the periods of greatest production there was the least molting 

 and that the heaviest molt followed the period of the heaviest laying. 



Influence of early egg production and prolificacy on molt. Table i6. 



In every pen except the hand-fed grain pen, the hens laying earliest 

 molted less than those laying last. In every pen but the hopper-fed 

 grain pen the most prolific hens molted twelve to sixteen days less than 

 the least prolific hens. 



