QUAIL PROPAGATION METHODS 37 



custard. Use three eggs to a good cup or half pint of milk, 

 or ten to twelve to the quart. Beat well together, and cook 

 slowly till the custard is dry and hard, firm enough to be 

 held like a cake in the hands. The custard that people find 

 bad for young birds is that which is soft and wet, such as 

 we would prefer for ourselves. Rub this hard custard 

 through the sieve, mix some crumbs with it as above, and it 

 makes a good feed. 



Grit and Water. Along with this, from the very first, 

 there should always be before the chicks a mixture of finely 

 ground grit and charcoal and clean water in a small drinking 

 font. 



Milk Curd. A supplementary food for very young birds 

 which is coming into general favour is sour-milk curd or 

 "cottage cheese." The experiments of Dr. L. F. Rettger, 

 with milk, either fresh or sour, as a preventive and cure for 

 white diarrhoea in chicks are very convincing. Some breed- 

 ers mix an occasional mash with milk, fresh or sour, thus 

 using the whey as well as the curd. On the principle of 

 using dry-moist food, the dry crumbly curd answers well, 

 and a little can be fed once each day, say one of the meals 

 during the four-meal period, or every other day for a couple 

 of weeks. It is the milk food that is effective, not the 

 acidity, according to Doctor Rettger. 



Ants' Eggs. Another useful early food is the commercial 

 dried ants' eggs. There may be some question as to just 

 how much nourishment these really contain. At any rate, 

 the young birds are fond of them, and they are supposed to 

 supply an element of insect food. Being rather expensive, 

 they would not be practicable for large flocks of young 

 pheasants, but for a moderate number of little quails or 

 grouse they are very useful. They are purchased from 

 dealers, and should be scalded and fed moist, once a day. 



