CHAPTER VII 



THE REARING FIELD 



Having our broods safely started toward the rearing field, it is neces- 

 sary to halt the action for a moment to consider this very important sub- 

 ject, for it is on this spot that the chicks will spend the critical period of 

 their development, and a happily selected location will go far toward 

 making a season successful. 



MATURING BIRDS AFFECTED BY CHARACTER OF SOIL.- 



There is a very intimate relationship between the soil and the growth of 

 the young bird, and this cannot be too firmly brought home to the beginner. 

 Invariably, birds do better in certain fields than others when, even to the 

 experienced eye, there is no discernible difference. Not only is this true, 

 but in the same field one brood will thrive while another forty or fifty yards 

 away and apparently facing the same conditions, will droop. Here is 

 where the skilled breeder displays much of his ability. He cannot always 

 tell why birds thrive in one spot and droop in another, but he can, by 

 constant observation and moving of coops, see that birds that are not 

 doing well are given a more promising location. Sometimes the birds in 

 an entire field will get to the stage where their development seems to be 

 arrested. Such a crisis is recognized by the experienced eye and it is 

 met by the immediate abandonment of the field. If an epidemic breaks 

 out, it is frequently combatted by the transfer of all the chicks to another 

 location. 



THE REQUISITES. In choosing a site for a rearing field, it should 

 be borne in mind that sun and shade, abundant insect life, and a well 

 drained soil are prime requisites. The small breeder on the average farm 

 will rarely have trouble in discovering a spot that will fulfill these, but 

 where the operation is being carried on on a large scale, it is customary to 

 make special preparation of fields for rearing purposes. For the small 

 breeder, an orchard frequently meets the requirements nicely. A site 

 with any sort of thicket or dense growth nearby is usually good, and if 

 there be a bit of swale available, the location of the coops in its neighbor- 

 hood will often prove a happy move. A garden frequently is ideal, but 

 beware of a location that will flood quickly. In choosing a spot on which 

 to rear a few birds, however, one must bear in mind that proximity to the 

 family dwelling will frequently serve to make the combat with vermin 

 an easier one. 



An experiment conducted by the Clove Valley Rod and Gun Club of 

 Dutchess County, New York, seems to prove an old meadow an undesirable 



