282 Report or THE Firsr AssisTaANT OF THE 
This habit, however, which may sometimes be a “symptom ” 
of disease, is more often, perhaps, induced by improper food, lack — 
of animal food, or lack of variety in the ration. Laying 
hens fed at this station, about two months almost exclusively 
upon Indian corn and corn meal, picked not only the feathers — 
but flesh from each other, so that two were killed. This same 
trouble has been seen elsewhere when birds were closely confined, 
with little chance or inducement for exercise and no change in — 
food. A pen of young capons and “slips” was fed for ubout 
two months exclusively on corn and corn meal (plenty of fresh 
water being at all times available) and these birds picked nearly 
all the smalier feathers from each other. An entirely similar 
pen, fed at the same time a mixed grain ration, continued in 
perfect plumage. 
General Observations. 
A pen of pullets kept without a male produced eges at about 
thirty per cent. less cost than an exactly similar pen with which a 
cockerel was kept. nae 
Another pen without a male gave during the first three months 
about the same proportionate excess of product over an exactly — 
similar pen with which a cockerel was kept. After the develop- 
ment of the feather-eating habit, the egg product diminished, but sy 
during eight months the total egg vields for each pen w ure very 
nearly alike. 
In each of the two pens without male birds some pullets had — 
begun to lay from one to two months earlier than, any in the cor- 
responding pens in which male birds were kept. 
While “feather eating” usually appears after feeding for any 
length of time an unvaried ration, deficient in some constituent, 
more especially nitrogenous matter, the habit has developed from 
idleness or some unknown cause among fowls having a ration 
which gave satisfactory results with other similar pens of fowls 
fed at the same time. While the habit of “feather-eatine ” can be 
cured sometimes by a needed change of food, and sometimes by » 
metheds similar to that mentioned in this bulletin, no method — 
which necessitates frequent handling of fowls will be an economical 
one with ordinary stock. 


