84 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTEKS LETTER 



their backs, should the hens be sitting in nesting 

 boxes, I have found very beneficial. 



For the first ten days after the eggs are set do 

 not allow the hens to remain off their nests for 

 longer than fifteen minutes. Later on a rest of half 

 an hour at noon will do them good, and in no way 

 damage their eggs. 



If you set your pheasant eggs as shown in fig. 15, 

 the hens will require no attention other than throwing 

 them their food in the wire inclosures, and dropping 

 some cinders through occasionally for dusting purposes. 



The cheapest and simplest way to insure the 

 presence of sitting hens of quiet temperament is to 

 breed and keep them at home. You then have your 

 hens conveniently at hand instead of being obliged 

 to rummage all the farmyards in the neighbourhood 

 at, for you, a busy time, not to speak of having to 

 pay dearly for their services besides. 



Keeping your own hens is also economical in the 

 matter of eggs, as, instead of having to purchase 

 these for feeding the young pheasants, your home- 

 bred hens will lay them for you. 



You will have to keep many hens over and above 

 the number of nests of eggs you expect to hatch out 

 with their aid that is to say, if you have 100 boxes 

 or coops, you will require quite 150 hens; for the 

 latter will never be ready to sit in sufficient numbers 



