214 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



of bars in the first instance. Necessary shade for the chicks will be furnished by the 

 coop, or may be provided by a small pile of brush. 



The water must be kept cool. The question of water has caused a great deal of 

 controversy. Many persons at one time considered water to be the cause of great 

 mortality among young pheasants, and reared their birds entirely without it. This may 

 be well enough in parts of humid England, where there is an abundance of rainfall, but 

 in America, where the heat of early summer is often excessive, it is certainly better to 

 provide drinking water. But it is essential that it be fresh and cool and never in 

 the sun. 



As the chicks' wings develop they will fly about and soon take to roosting outside. 

 This is the critical stage with pheasants reared for sporting purposes, but the breeder of 

 aviary birds simply clips their wings, or removes the birds to covered runs. Young birds 

 of most species will not leave the rearing field even after they are fully feathered, but 

 most breeders do not care to risk them at liberty after they reach the flying stage. 



DISEASES 



There are many diseases to which pheasants, as well as other birds in confinement, 

 are subject. Naturally, individuals which are closely confined in aviaries are the chief 

 sufferers, birds at liberty rarely being attacked. The number of the diseases with which 

 they may be afflicted is large, although the majority are uncommon. 



Pheasants make difficult subjects for treatment, because of their innate wildness. 

 In most cases it certainly is wiser to destroy the affected bird, rather than to attempt 

 a cure and often risk a spread of the infection. For these reasons only the most 

 common and dangerous diseases are mentioned here. 



Of the diseases which affect aviary pheasants, tuberculosis undoubtedly accounts 

 for more deaths than all of the others combined. Birds imported from Continental 

 dealers, who supply most of the birds which reach America, are very apt to be infected. 

 Once this trouble has been introduced, it is eradicated only with great difficulty. Only 

 the practised eye can detect tuberculous birds until they have reached almost the final 

 stages, as they are usually so wild that fear impels them to a misleading activity in the 

 presence of the observer. During cold weather the ravages of the disease are not 

 noticeable, the vitality of the birds naturally being reduced. The only thing for the 

 afflicted owner to do is to destroy the infected birds as they are detected and disinfect 

 the runs they inhabited. 



Pneumonia stands next to tuberculosis as a scourge of the aviary. It seizes the 

 birds during autumn, winter and spring, and no remedy has yet been devised for 

 averting its course. It is very contagious, and infected birds must be destroyed and 

 disinfectant liberally used. It should be said that this and the preceding rarely attack 

 birds which are at liberty or on range, but are most prevalent among those which 

 are closely confined. 



Roup, the common disease of domestic fowls, is often seen in pheasants, perhaps 

 introduced by foster-mothers. The symptoms are running at eyes and nostrils, swollen 

 eyes, a fetid odour and often whitish patches in the throat. Birds confined in damp 

 enclosures are most likely to be attacked. 



