FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF CHICKS 



for grit. Invaluable adjuncts to Pheasant chick's food is 

 canary seed and white millet seed. The cost of the first 

 named is usually about fifteen shillings per bushel, and the 

 latter twelve shillings, but in giving these seeds it is not 

 advisable to mix them with the other food, but scatter them 

 freely around the coops, so as to give the chickens employ- 

 ment, in other words to "forage" for their food. If no eggs 

 are used, the foregoing seeds along with ants' eggs and 

 biscuit-meal, or some other form of meal, must be used 

 instead. 



After the first fortnight there will be no necessity to give 

 the food in such a finely divided state, and the eggs can be 

 gradually withdrawn, as every keeper knows that these are 

 a most expensive item in connection with Pheasant-rearing, 

 therefore they ought to be dispensed with as soon as ever 

 such can be economically done. Biscuit-meal or other meal 

 can be of a coarser character, and a little more green food 

 may be used. Boiled rice, with a very small portion of 

 mutton greaves added, would be suitable, but avoid giving 

 too much greaves, there being in the author's opinion no 

 more pernicious material than greaves in excess. The moral 

 is to give this food most sparingly. If boiled rice is used, 

 put the rice into boiling water, so that when it is cold, the 

 particles of rice will be whole, instead of a starchy mass, 

 as usually happens, when the water and the rice have been 

 boiled together. 



Another matter of importance is not to allow the rice 

 to burn. Maize flour and barley flour are very useful when 

 added to the food. 



Most of the game food firms sell biscuit-meal in two 

 grades as well as other special foods for chickens, and as 

 these are largely used by keepers in the rearing of Pheasants, 

 it follows that they are particularly suitable for such purposes, 



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