474 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 11 
FEEDING A HEN. 
Pabt XIX. 
The Moulting Hen. 
1. Do you recommend any special food for 
moulting hens, and, if so, what have you found 
best suited to their needs ? 2. Have you ever had 
hens that continued laying to a greater or less 
extent right through their moult ? 3. Do you con¬ 
sider it profitable to give them this extra care 
for the extra eggs and condition thus secured ? 
4. Is there any way of shortening the moulting 
period or hastening it so that the fowls will be 
fully feathered before cold weather ? 5. Would it 
be worth your while to adopt such a practice if 
you were sure that it would give the desired re¬ 
sults? 6. Do you notice, in your flock of bens, 
that some moult naturally easier and quicker 
than others, and, if so, do you think that this 
habit would become hereditary, so that chicks 
from these birds would have the same character¬ 
istics ? 
Meat Is a Tonic. 
I find plenty of fresh meat or green 
bone the best tonic that can be given to 
help hens through the moult; thus fed, 
they will shed quicker and come out in 
better shape. I have had hens lay all 
through their moulting, but I think it 
just as well for them to rest through that 
period. It pays to get hens through 
with their moult before the cold weather 
sets in, and a yearling hen will always 
moult earlier than a two or three-year- 
old. I do not think early moulting could 
be made hereditary ; it is in the condi¬ 
tion of the fowls, more than in anything 
else. I take no stock in condition pow¬ 
ders to help ; I have found them worth¬ 
less. JAMES II. SEELY. 
“J. A. IN." Has His Say. 
1. I do not. In my opinion, hens that 
are well cared for and not forced, need 
no special foods or tonics to carry them 
through the moulting season. I am an 
ardent advocate of an extensive range 
for fowls. The exercise they get in 
grazing, and hunting for insects, is very 
beneficial. Contentment is the great 
desideratum, and fowls at liberty, if well 
fed and kept free from lice, are gener¬ 
ally contented, and in good condition to 
bear the strain of moulting. 2. I have. 
Last year, more than 90 per cent of my 
hens went through the moulting process 
so gradually that I did not notice, either 
by the looks of the feathers, or the num¬ 
ber of eggs, when the change took place. 
6. Yes. I have no doubt that these char¬ 
acteristics would be transmitted to the 
offspring if selections were made with 
that end in view, though I will confess 
that I have not tried the experiment. 
I believe that the Mediterranean breeds 
moult easier and quicker than the large 
breeds ; also, that all breeds moult easier 
and quicker the first time than they do 
afterwards, and for that reason I believe 
that the most profitable plan is to renew 
half of the stock every year, allowing 
none of the birds to moult more than 
once. 
Younger Fowls Moult Easiest. 
1. I recommend increasing the propor¬ 
tion of nitrogenous food in the ration. 
More cut fresh bone, or meat-meal, or 
beef scrap, and a handful of linseed or 
cotton-seed meal to each pen of fowls. 
2. My hens always continue laying 
through the moult when so fed. The 
egg yield drops off 50 to 75 per cent, but 
they continue laying. 3. Most certainly. 
Not only do the eggs pay for it, but the 
fowls come through the moult in so 
much better condition, and so promptly 
that we get doubly paid for the extra 
care. 4. Yes. The above method will 
substantially shorten the moulting 
period. The period can be hastened by 
short rationing the birds for two or three 
weeks, to check laying ; then push them 
as above to induce moulting quickly. 5. 
Yes ; most certainly. 6. Yes, fowls in 
“ high ” condition and well fed, moult 
more easily and more quickly than 
others, and young (one-year old] fowls 
moult more easily, and earlier, than 
two, three or four-year-old fowls. As a 
rule, the older a fowl gets, the harder 
and later will she moult. By “select¬ 
ing” such as moult easily and quickly to 
breed from, the habit can, no doubt, be 
transmitted to the progeny. 
A. F. HUNTER. 
Linseed Meal is Good. 
For moulting hens, I recommend food 
rich in feather-growing properties,which 
is the same as egg-producing. I usually 
feed plenty of meat and linseed meal, 
together with as much of a variety of 
foods as I can get. This is one of the 
most trying times of a hen’s life, and 
she should have good care and nourish¬ 
ing foods. I have always had some eggs 
through the moult, though, of course, 
less than at any other time. I have had 
hens lay when they were practically 
bare of feathers, nothing but pin feath¬ 
ers showing, having shed all their 
feathers at once. The moulting period 
will be shortened by giving rich food 
and good care, and the fowls will surely 
come through in better condition for 
winter laying. I am sure that it pays to 
give them special care at this period, for 
the extra egg production at this time, as 
well as after results. I have always 
noticed that some hens moult much 
earlier and quicker than others, but 
could not say whether it would become 
hereditary, and an early-moulting breed 
could be established or not. But 
I am inclined to think it results more 
from the fowls’ individual dispositions 
and inclination to range and hunt their 
living. The more they range, the better 
their health, and the stronger and more 
vigorous they are, the quicker and easier 
their moult. The main point is to get 
the old feathers out of the way, as it is 
an easy matter to feed for the growth of 
new feathers. I would like to hear from 
others on the moulting question, also 
from any one who has had experience 
with any method of coaxing fowls to 
drop their old coat of feathers early in 
the season. j. e. Stevenson. 
Opinions by P. H. Jacobs. 
1. As hens moult, usually, in warm 
weather (though sometimes during other 
seasons), it is not advisable to supply 
carbonaceous food. Hens will often 
come out of the moulting process some¬ 
what fat, due to the greater demand for 
the nitrogenous and mineral elements, 
the excess of carbonaceous matter being 
stored on the body as fat, although the 
hen may be weak. Cut bone, meat, and 
clover are the most suitable foods ; sul¬ 
phur is also beneficial, as the feathers 
contain quite a proportion of that sub¬ 
stance. 2. Some hens continue laying 
well into the moulting period, though 
the cases are exceptions. Much depends 
on the individuals and their character¬ 
istics. 3. It is profitable to give the 
extra care, as the process of renewing 
the feathers is a heavy drain on the sys¬ 
tem, often being fatal to weak hens, or 
to those which do not receive food rich 
in nitrogen and mineral matter. They 
are also liable to succumb to dampness, 
and should have dry quarters. In sum¬ 
mer, the risk is less than during very 
late in the season. 4. Oily foods, such 
as linseed meal, sunflower seeds, etc., 
tend to hasten the process. It usually 
requires about three months ; but a gain 
of two or three weeks is possible with 
balanced foods. 5. It is well worth the 
time and labor to bring the hens into 
laying condition as soon as it can be 
done. 0. No two hens are alike, and 
differ as do human individuals; hence 
some will moult quicker, easier, and 
with no indications of debility, while 
others in the same flock, and receiving 
the same treatment, require a longer 
time to moult, and do not endure the 
ordeal so well. I do not believe that 
moulting can be controlled so as to 
secure hereditary tendencies in a flock, 
unless by careful selection for many 
years ; and it is doubtful whether it is 
even then possible to have such fixed 
characteristics. The food, breed, loca¬ 
tion, season of the year, and general 
management, are important factors in 
the matter. 
C. H Wyckoff Talks. 
I do not use any special food for moult¬ 
ing fowls, but feed with a view to their 
best general health and condition, the 
same as if laying ; but find that they will 
not take so much food. I have had hens 
that lay, to some extent, nearly through 
the moulting period ; but they will usu¬ 
ally stop for a time when the new feath¬ 
ers are making the most growth. I find 
it most profitable to give the best care 
and attention at all times. I do not be¬ 
lieve that there is any practicable method 
of hastening or shortening the moulting 
period of hens, except so to care for them 
at all times, that they are kept in that 
bright, active, happy and comfortable 
condition commonly seen only in the 
spring and early summer. I notice that 
there is a great difference in hens about 
moulting ; some moult very gradually, 
dropping a few feathers at a time, and 
having many new feathers full grown 
before all of the old are dropped. The; e 
(Continued on next paired 
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