POULTRY FEEDS AND FEEDING 



and the milk, it is very essential to get the fowls to eat as 

 much mash as possible during the molting period. This 

 can be done where the dry mash system of feeding is 

 carried on by reducing the scatch grains materially, mak- 

 ing the fowls consume at least as much mash as scratch 

 grains and preferably from one-fourth to one-half as 

 much more mash than scratch grains. This extra con- 

 sumption of mash during the summer not only helps to 

 keep up the summer production previous to molting, but 

 makes the hens lay later in the summer and fall and also 

 shortens the molting period, when the hens are normally 

 non-productive. If green feed can be secured in connec- 

 tion with a large or open range, it is also very desirable as 

 it gives the fowls exercise in addition to supplying green 

 feed. 



The molt can be forced early in the season by giving the 

 hens very light feeds or a semi-starvation ration. This will 

 stop the hens laying in June and July if desired and throw 

 them into a complete molt. As soon as the hens have 

 started to molt freely they are given full feeds of a 

 regular ration and the fowls made to consume as much 

 mash as possible. This can usually best be done by feed- 

 ing a moist mash in addition to the dry mash, if the dry 

 mash system of feeding is in use. 



CULLING AND SELECTION OF STOCK 



In order to get the most profitable returns from the 

 feed consumed and to make the feeding results worth 

 while, it is necessary to cull out the poor producers. The 



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