246 POULTRY BREEDING 
weight. The reduction in the ration is made gradually 
and really consists in putting them on starvation diet for 
a week or two. Then the ration is gradually increased 
until the fowls are on heavy feed again. This seems to 
hasten the molt and cause the whole flock to molt quickly 
and at one time. The experiments at Cornell indicate 
that there ig no advantage in this method and possibly 
some disadvantage, although this was not clearly demon- 
strated. 
In order to determine just how molting proceeds White 
Leghorns were used and these were colored blue, red, 
green and various other colors, so that when new feathers 
came in they could be noticed at once. It was found that 
the average time required for the full molt was 104 days 
with three-year-old hens, 101 days with two-year-olds and 
82 days with yearlings. It required 42 days for a body 
feather plucked out to renew itself and somewhat longer 
for a tail feather. 
Hens should be fed a highly nitrogenous ration during 
the molting period, as the demand for materials from 
which to supply feather material is very heavy. Wheat, 
wheat bran, middlings, beef scrap, meatmeal, gluten feed, 
oats, oilmeal and similar feeds rich in protein should be 
fed freely. 
NEST BOXES.—On page 247 are shown several types 
of nest-boxes. The nest-box should be easy of access, par- 
tially darkened and so arranged that hens feel secluded 
and hidden while on the nests. 
OATS.—This grain comes very nearly being a balanced 
ration, so far as chemical composition is concerned, but 
it seems to have too much woody hull to be considered 
the best grain to feed in its natural condition. Clippea 
oats make a very valuable grain feed for laying hens. 
