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Show CARING FOR Y '" MOLTING HENS A v Require Large Amount of Feed Containing Nitrogen, Such as Oil Meal n lid Protein Feeds. (By J. BAILEY BRlTIi.) Most people believe that if they can force their hens to molt early they will lay more eggs during the season, .' but this is not true. Hpns i hat have molted late will lay more eggs during, the winter than the early molters. This has been shown by the most careful experiments, but the facts are nrt generally known. ; Molting hens require a large amount , of feed containing nitrogen such as oil meal, meat and other feeds rich in protein. Molting can be forced by cutting down the feed of hens as it has been shown by experiments that , ... scantily fed hens begin molting earlier ear-lier than those on full feed, but the former do not finish moiling much earlier. Starved hens molt more uniformly than others and this Is particularly noticeable In hens two or three years old. In an experiment conducted by the Cornell experiment station it was found that on a basis of 100 hens the fed flock produced eggs to the value of $29.27 more than by the starved (lock. The total income from all the birds was $278 for the starved flock and $."50 for the fed flock, a difference in favor of natural moiling for the year of abou,. '.)'. A western poultryman of long experience ex-perience gives his method of controlling controll-ing molting as follows: As soon as the hens are through laying he turns them out in alfalfa. fcfdi:,g t hem dry bran only, In a (Mi- 1 tion. Under this treatment they get thin. Then lie feeds Hum a mixed ration o' grains mid meat, giving a light feed in the morning and all they will cat at noon a 'id night Under this treatment ih.y fin I. -ill molting quickly, get new Icaihers and begin laying in September. liy October 1 they are all in good laying condition and make a prolit through the fall and winter. '-y |
