ANNUAL MOLT IN R. L REDS 



the production-bred stock. It appears, therefore, that females bred for high pro- 

 duction have an inherited tendency to complete their molt at a later date than 

 exhibition-bred females. 



The females in the group that failed to complete their wing molt by December 

 31 had completed their molt in all other feather tracts studied. There was a 

 slight tendency for the production-bred females to molt over a longer period in 

 breast, thigh, and back. In neck molt and lower leg molt this difference failed 

 to appear. The mean date when molt was completed was generally later for this 

 group than for the group having complete wing molt. 



Comparison with the record for males presented in table 1 shows no high con- 

 sistency. Males molted more quickly than females in some feather tracts but 

 more slowly in others. Males did require a much shorter period to shed their 

 wing primaries, and the mean date when molting was complete was generally 

 significantly earlier. 



BODY WEIGHT DURING THE MOLTING PERIOD 



Body weight records and molt records were taken on each bird at two-week 

 intervals to discover characteristic weight changes associated with molting in 

 females. Data are presented in chart 1 for 33 exhibition-bred females and 131 

 production-bred females. 



Females in the exhibition group were about .14 pound lighter in weight than 

 those in the production group at the end of July. By the end of December there 

 was no difference in mean weights. The exhibition females increased in weight 

 up to the middle of September and then showed a decline of about .4 by the end 

 of October, coinciding with their most active molting period. The production- 

 bred stock not only failed to exhibit any significant decline in body weight during 

 the molting period, but actually showed a progressive increase of about .75 pound 

 from late July to the end of December. 



In general, the data suggest that annual molt does affect body weight in exhi- 

 bition-bred females but produces no significant effect in birds bred for high 

 fecundity. 



MOLTING BEHAVIOR IN RELATION TO EGG PRODUCTION 



It is a well-recognized fact that both molting and egg production are complex 

 physiological functions. It is also known that annual molt and egg production 

 at the end of the biological year are interdependent. Egg production normally 

 ceases for most of the period of annual molt. There is, however, marked varia- 

 bility in both molting behavior and egg laying. It is, therefore, important that 

 some of these relations be considered. For convenience both the exhibition and 

 the production females have been divided into two groups: those completing the 

 wing molt and those not completing the wing molt during the period of observa- 

 tion. 



Molting of Different Feather Regions. — In table 3 data are presented on the 

 mean number of eggs laid and the mean length of the laying period while molting 

 in six different feather tracts. 



The data show that hens may lay a considerable number of eggs while under- 

 going neck molt and back molt, apparently because of the early completion of 

 molting in these regions. Molting on the breast, thigh, and lower leg is usually 

 completed later in the fall, and the number of eggs laid while molting in these 

 regions is small. Molting of wing primaries covers a long period during which 

 both exhibition- and production-bred hens laid a reasonable number of eggs. 



