Raising Birds for the French Hunter 



Pheasantries are maintained at great expense 

 so that the bird-hunter may have his sport 



The aristocratic pheasant 

 is bred in much the same 

 way as the ordinary un- 

 pretentious, domestic fowl 



THE pheasant, which is commonly 

 bred in France for stocking the 

 woods for the hunters, is raised, in 

 a general way, like the common fowl, but 

 it requires much more careful feeding. 

 The pheasantry is located on some 

 dry, slightly elevated ground not far 

 from the woods where the birds are to 

 enjoy their short span of life. If the 

 breeder has not secured his cocks and hens 

 during the hunting season, he buys the 

 eggs for breeding from a reliable dealer. 

 But if he has the birds, he is surer of 

 results. The egg-laying period varies 

 with climatic conditions, but ordinarily 

 the hens begin laying in captivity about 

 the middle of 

 April, each lay- 

 ing about a 

 dozen eggs 

 during three 

 weeks. 



During the 

 laying time the 

 birds are fed 

 plentifully on 

 oats, barley, 

 hemp seed and 

 a mash made 

 of honey, 

 bread, herbs 

 and chopped 

 eggs. Green 

 food, such as 

 lettuce, dande- 

 lion and chick- 

 cry is also giv- 

 en generously. 



The pheasantry is located on some dry, slightly 

 elevaced ground not far from the shooting preserve 



riiotos by 

 JacQuea Boyer 



The eggs are marked with the date of 

 laying and deposited, large end up, on 

 a bed of bran in a wooden box. The eggs 

 are placed under ordinary domestic hens 

 for hatching. 



At the Rambouillet pheasantry, in 

 France, the incubator chamber is a her- 

 metically sealed compartment on the 

 ground floor. Round or oval wicker 

 baskets are arranged in rows in this 

 chamber and buried to three-quarters of 

 their height in the fine sand with which 

 the floor is carpeted. The bottom of the 

 basket is then covered with finely chopped 

 straw and hay, and from fifteen to eighteen 

 eggs are placed in it. A hen is placed over 



them and a 

 cover intended 

 to keep the hen 

 on her job is 

 placed over 

 her. Incuba- 

 tion lasts twen- 

 ty-four to 

 twenty-six 

 days. 



In large 

 pheasantries, 

 artificial incu- 

 b a tors are 

 sometimes 

 used when set- 

 ters are lacking 

 or to com- 

 mence and fin- 

 ish the work. 

 The best types 

 of apparatus, 



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