400 THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY 



hens took more time for the molt, one-, two-, and three- 

 year-olds using an average of eighty-two, one hundred 

 one, and about one hundred four days, respectively. 

 Various expert breeders testify that age, prolificacy, 

 season, and individual variations all affect the length of 

 time required. 



In this experiment, two pens of trap-nested hens laid 

 an average of but twelve eggs each during the molt, and 

 only three per cent of the hens laid while molting most 

 freely. Let no one berate the hen for not laying during 

 the molt, till he has fully considered that the new coat of 

 feathers, to be put on at least once a year as long as she 

 lives, contains (estimated) one tenth as much nitrogen 

 as her egg product for the whole year, and one fifth as 

 much as her body. If increase in egg production and 

 increase in weight both demand increase in food, the 

 inference is unescapable, from all the facts, that to lay 

 during the molt, the birds must have large supplies of 

 food, which is both easily digestible, and richer than 

 usual in nitrogen. Since feathers contain above fourteen 

 per cent of nitrogen, while the body contains less than 

 one fourth as much, and the egg only about one eighth 

 as much, as stated in some analyses, it takes but short 

 thinking to reach the conclusion, not only that extra 

 nitrogen should be added to the feed during the molt, 

 but that even with this, hens should not be expected to 

 lay heavily at this time. And, since eggs appear to 

 average about ten times as much lime content as the 

 body of the fowl, the contention of some of the food 

 manufacturers that certain mineral constituents render 

 their product superior for laying hens " appears " to be 

 supported. The valuation of domestic fowls rests on 



