Milford chronicle., 1916-07-21

months of August and September an
while they have not as yet made the
advent nevertheless the time for tn
annual mOulting is rapidly approachin
q and for that reason, this appears to m
to be an Opportune time for the discui
sion of the subject.
The moulting of hens is one of tn
more important subjects incident to tn
raising of fowls. in which the averag
breeder is vitally interested. This i
due to the fact that the moulting perio,
largely determines the productiVenes
of the fowls during the cold or winter
season following.
While some fowls will mOult compar
atively early, yet it generally follows
that the average bird will not undergo
this characteristic of nature until late
summer, unless forced to do so. There
is much to be said against forcing an
Irly mOult, but yet there are those
who will do so in an effort to get the
greatest possible egg yield out of them
in a given time after which they are
discarded.
While this is possibly good rule to
follow for the man who deals in poultry,
from purely a commercial standpoint,
yet it is not good judgement for the
man WIN Has any ONAlGE ain III View
There is little or no doubt but that birds
forced through the moulting period may
be made to pay a greater profit, but /
am not firm believer in this method.
On the contrary | would advise the
average breeder to allow nature to take
its course with respect to the moulting
of the flock and urge special attention
during his period to their comfort and
welfare and by so doing / believe you
will be fully rewarded. / found that
the fowls will be better enabled to 90
up against life battles and better with
stand the strain of consistent egg LAYING
| if allowed to take their much needed
rest at a time when nature provides it.
| will admit that it is extremely hard,
especially on the pOcketbOok Of most
breeders, when their flocks will not be-
gin the process of mOulting until late
summer or early fall in which event
they do not begin laying until the win
ter is far, if not altogether spent. Be
sides this the birds will be almost en-
tirely without feathers during the cold
blasts of fall and early winter, which
makes it eXtremly hard to guard against |
sickness.
Taking into consideration the many |
disadvantages of a late mOut and look |
ing at the poultry game from the stand |
point of profit am convinced that one |
would do well to encourage this cOndi-
tion. While as / have said above / do
not believe in deliberately forcing this
condition upon the hens, yet at the same
time | think it no harm to encourage it
a little. AS / have said the average
flock will begin to moult about the lat
ter part of August. l believe that the
first of this month is just as good for
this as the latter part of it and by
slightly encouraging the hens in this d.
rection they will begin to moult and can
still be in condition for fall laying,
which is, above all things the desire of
the average breeder. If this condition
is not slightly forced, however, the {
birds will go well over into the fall and
the yield will be greatly
retarded
Old hens naturally slack off laying
1uring the latter part of June, through /.
July and August and will rarely ever :
ay all during September when they ! !
nOult. Indeed this state of inactivity
among the older birds will generally run
veil into the winter. This rest is absO-
utely necessary for the birds, otherwise
nature would not have provided it. By =.
orcing the moult or rather by encourage =
ng it, the hens can take advantage of.
II rather allowed the rest period and at !
he same time produce eggs during the y
all and winter when they are worth &
more than during the sum- y
ner months. By encouraging the moult p
r rather having the hens 20 through
his period probably a month or six
1eeks earlier than they would ordinarily
o is by no means interfering with the 3
rOvisiOns Of nature, but simply staging y
a little earlier for the benefit of the u
reeder. / see but little difference if a *
en- is encouraged to moult the last of y y
uly rather than allowed to take her ~
wn time and begin operations in this u
irection the latter part of August, pro-
lded, however, she is not forced too
-rongly at first.
Birds kept on range will generally lay N NLe
lirly well during June. July and even as
ugust, but not so those kept in con-
nement They will slack off during
lese months and be idle during this
sriOd only to begin to mOult with the
)lng out OF the later month, with the
suit that they will not again become Nj
tive until the rough weather is well I'M
'ent. Where the birds are kept in con- a
icmGul IL - dlulUSl imperative Lnat
e have his pullets mature compare tn,
yely early in order to get a fall and DR.
inter egg yield, without forcing the
Oult some little. To such / would GER ity
inly recommend an encouragement of IN,
e mOult about the latter part of July
the first Of August. del
Of course there are many and divers Blu
lys Of forcing the moult, but / will bol
mime myself to but two, both of " hich ms
nave tried and found to produce good
suits. Reduce the amount Of food to are
e-half proportions for about ten days of
two weeks, eliminating all mash {
IDS. You will find that the birds will tril
IN begin to drop their feathers and ing
come nude. When the feathers begin
drop out freely, go back to the regu- sicl
proportion Of grain rations gradually, Mil
do not give them any mash food '
atever. Mash feeding encourages a I
J production and as this should not VIII
your object it must be eliminated far