vii. PHEASANT REARING (PART ,F/,)_ , ipi 



the coops and runs, pheasant chicks, jtM brought 

 with their hens from where they were hatched. 



The young birds should now be sprightly and 

 hungry, and ready for the first meal of their lives. 

 Commence at the end one of a row of coops, and 

 scatter some food (the subject of food I shall treat of 

 separately) just before the hen it contains ; she will 

 pick it about and show it to the chicks, who will soon 

 begin to feed for themselves. As the birds gain con- 

 fidence, sprinkle a little more food, this time in the 

 run attached to the coop, and so pass on from one 

 coop to the next till all are fed. 



For the first week feed the young birds every two 

 hours, the earliest feed at 5.30 in the morning ; give 

 very little at a time, and not an atom more than the 

 chicks will eat, as food that has become stale and 

 bitter from lying on the ground is likely to cause the 

 death of any delicate birds. 



For the first day keep the chicks closely confined 

 to the runs, shutting them up safely in the coops at 

 night. On the second day (by which time the birds 

 will know the call of their hens) loosen the strings 

 that hold the ends of the runs together, and wedge 

 the boards slightly apart, so as to leave a small 

 opening a few inches wide for the chicks to pass in and 

 out from the coops ; they will delight in the fresh 



