APPENDIX. 91 



Lime must be provided in some form; it is estimated 

 that one pound of oyster-shells contains sufficient lime 

 for the shells of seven dozen eggs. 



HOW TO HASTEN MOLTING. 



Sometimes it is decirable to hasten molting, so as to 

 get the hens well feathered and in laying condition by 

 late fall or early Vvinter. 



To accomplish this, the hen should be fed very spar- 

 ingly and kept confined for a few weeks, or until she 

 has entirely ceased laying and is in a somewhat deple- 

 ted condition; then she should be fed plentifully with a 

 ration that is highly nitrogenous, so as to encourage 

 the growth of new feathers. Oil meal, pea meal, 

 ground oats, wheat, milk, and beef scraps would be 

 among the best that could be fed. Results will be 

 much more satisfactory, if several varieties are fed, 

 than when only one kind of grain or feed is given. 



When beginning to feed a fowl that has been par- 

 tially deprived of food, care must be taken that it is 

 not overfed, but it should be fed cautiously and the 

 amount gradually increased. 



HOW TO BREAK UP A BROODY HEN. 



One of the quickest methods of breaking up a per- 

 sistent broody hen is to place her in a small coop with 

 a wire screen bottom, for 36 to 48 hours, without feed 

 or water. The coop must be up off the floor so as to 

 allow the cool air to pass beneath the hen. Of course, 

 in cold weather the coop must not be put in a place so 

 cold that the hen will freeze her feet. 



