HATCHING AND REARING 



129 



most shows, it is of tiic utmost importance 

 that the ycung flight featiicrs ot most 

 varieties should be kept intact and as 

 perfect as possible. It is likely that 

 one of the best young birds from the 

 season's work might have half or more of 

 his 3'Oimg flights plucked out, and thus 

 spoil his chance of competing in these 

 unflightcd classes owing to the new flight 

 feathers coming longer than the original 

 ones, and so making the wing feathers 

 appear uneven in length. 



This disposition to pluck is. perhaps, 

 one of the most vexing incidents of the 

 breeding-room. We spoke of it as com- 

 mencing at a comparatively matured age ; 

 but it is sometimes begun when the birds 

 are very young, and not sufficiently fledged 

 to be left all night without the protect- 

 ing covering of the mother's wing, and 

 it is then verj^ distressing and painful to 

 witness. 



In such cases, if the birds be, say, ten 

 or twelve days old, the best jilan is to take 

 a shallow square or slightly 

 oblong wooden nest-box, 

 and shape out in it a nice 

 warm nest with moss and hair. The young- 

 brood shovdd be placed in this and trans- 

 ferred to a nursery cage. The nest should 

 be put close up against the end of the 

 nursery cage through which the old bird 

 or birds have to feed the young, and the 

 cage hung in the usual wav in front of the 

 open door of the breeding cage. As the old 

 birds stand to feed them, the youngsters 

 will rush up out of the nest and push their 

 beaks through between the wires. When 

 the old ones have fed them a few times in 

 this way, the youngsters can be covered 

 over with a piece of flannel, three or four 

 ply thick, or a piece of swansdown, made 

 just large enough to cover the nest, but 

 not quite to the edge ; the yoimg birds 

 will nestle beneath this, and with the heat 

 from each other's body will be kept warm 

 and comfortable. Every time the parent 

 birds come down to feed them, and they are 

 hungry, they will stretch their long necks out 

 to the wires to be fed, and when satisfied 

 will quickly draw back again beneath the 



Remedy 



for Plucking, 



cover. The cover, however, must not be 

 placed over the yomig imtil the old birds 

 have fed them a few times in their new 

 nest, or they would not come near it with 

 the cover on. There will be no ditliculty 

 in keeping the nest clean, as the young 

 birds at this age will pass their ch'oppings 

 over the edge. 



This is the only effectual remedj^ we 

 know of where hens take to plucking the 

 yoimg before they leave the nest, and if 

 not adofjted, all the hen will do, so long as 

 the young brood is with her, is feed them 

 and then sit on the edge of the nest and 

 pluck every quill or feather out of their 

 young bodies mitil they are as bare as 

 the back of one's hand. When hens 

 acquire this propensity, not only do they 

 pluck every feather, but the new quills 

 also, just as they shoot from the skin ; 

 and if the 3-oungsters sm-vive such a 

 trying ordeal they generally grow up 

 miserable-looking objects. More often, 

 however, they are eventually found one 

 cold morning all dead, with the hen sitting- 

 over them, or flying about the cage frantic 

 for another nest-pan in which to start to 

 build and lay again. Though we have 

 known a hen pluck one brood and never 

 touch a feather again, as a ride they are 

 feather-pluckers and eaters of the worst 

 character, and continue their nefarious 

 game. Happily, such desperadoes are few, 

 and where one does turn up, the method 

 we have described is the only efficient 

 remedy. 



Whether plucking takes place or not, it 



is always advisable to remove the young 



birds when the hen has laid 



Removal of j,ojiin, either into a nursery 



First Brood. " • , ;,. 



cage or to a partitioned-olr 



comjiartment of a double breeding cage. 



For although, as we have said, the 



young ones will not break the eggs 



when climbing over them, they make the 



clean nest in a deplorable mess with their 



droppings. Sometimes the eggs will be 



found covered with excreta and sticking 



together, and in the endeavour to clean 



them one or two generally get broken. 



Moreover, if the hen has commenced to 



