THE CARE OF PHEASANTS IN CAPTIVITY 211 



even three weeks, and occasionally even longer periods. Most breeders, however, prefer 

 not to keep eggs for longer than two weeks before commencing incubation. 



INCUBATION 



The hen pheasant will often evince a desire to incubate, and in such cases, where 

 it is convenient, it is well to allow her to do so. She will rear the young quite as well 

 as a domestic hen, and possibly better. It will usually be safe to allow the cock to share 

 the run with mother and young, as he will not harm the chicks. 



In most cases, however, the hen will not sit, being so frequently disturbed by 

 egg collectors. In rearing on a large scale it is not practical to use pheasant hens for 

 rearing, as they are wild and difficult to control, and would require a great deal of ground 

 if young are to be reared in large numbers. It is customary, therefore, to employ foster- 

 mothers for hatching the eggs and rearing the chicks. 



Incubators have sometimes been advocated, but no one, for some reason, seems to 

 have met with much success with this purely artificial method. Incubators are a useful 

 adjunct, however, during the hatching season. Where heavy domestic hens are used, 

 they are very apt to crush the chicks while in the nest. It is an excellent expedient, 

 therefore, to remove the eggs a day or two before they are due to hatch and place them in 

 an incubator, giving the hen a clutch of infertile ones to keep her busy until the chicks 

 are dry and strong, when they are given to the foster-mother. 



Domestic hens have so far proved the best practical rearers of pheasant chicks. In 

 selecting suitable birds, size and quietness should receive much consideration. The 

 hens should be small and steady, and clean-legged if possible. For rearing the more 

 delicate species, Silkies are without doubt the very best, closely followed by Silky crosses 

 and Cochin Bantams, the latter being rather handicapped by heavy leg feathering. For 

 the hardier pheasants, small birds of any quiet breed will do very well. It is not 

 customary to keep a large supply of hens on hand, the necessary birds usually being 

 secured from neighbouring farms, as required, by renting or outright purchase. Some 

 game farms, however, keep their own hens, preserving the eggs laid in the spring in 

 silicate, and using them for the young pheasants later on. This system certainly should 

 commend itself to those who have sufficient room for allowing it. 



Many methods have been devised for providing nesting accommodation for the 

 foster-mothers. The one most popular until very recently was to erect a substantial 

 house, or adapt to the purpose a barn, usually with no floor. The nesting-boxes, each 

 about two feet cube, were ranged side by side about the walls, entirely enclosed, with a 

 large door opening toward the front, and perforated for ventilation. There was no 

 bottom in the boxes, the nest being formed on the bare ground. In other cases the nests 

 were built one above the other, in several tiers. At breeding time hens widely separated 

 were liberated simultaneously, and put back to make room for others, thus preventing 

 fighting and the breaking of eggs. A better plan was to provide a peg, with a short 

 cord and loop, before each nest. To this each hen was fastened to eat and drink, the 

 attendant being able to replace the first ones out as soon as the last one was tied. There 

 are many drawbacks to this system, besides the labour involved, and a better plan is now 

 followed by most breeders, at least in America. An individual coop, two or three feet 



