FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF CHICKS 



according to the constituents they may be found to contain if 

 analysed as all foods should be. 



" I have used certain chick foods for the last seven or 

 eight years with beneficial results, and I am of opinion, 

 although some may perhaps not agree with me, that a dry 

 chick food might be prepared specially to rear Pheasants on 

 the same footing as chickens are reared. If some of our 

 large wealthy chick-food firms, or agricultural colleges, or 

 both in co-operation, would only experiment on a scientific 

 basis with which they are acquainted, using the birds' own 

 special feed foods that I have named, and adding also the 

 verifying safeguard of observation to their efforts, we should 

 be able to solve more definitely, and consequently more 

 satisfactorily, the question of how much it would cost to rear 

 Pheasants, and also perhaps how cheaply it might be done, 

 for by using thus a dry chick food, in uniform proportions, 

 with or without eggs, as the case might be, according to the 

 supply of insect life, we at least might compute the average 

 cost. Perhaps it might even be arranged that certain insects 

 could be captured and dried for Pheasants and chicks, as is 

 done for certain cage-birds, and as the locusts and large grass- 

 hoppers are caught and dried in hot countries for human food, 

 then even the natural insect food could be artificially supplied 

 in case of need, as dry clover meal is supplied for fowl feed- 

 ing, which is a flesh-producer in their case, besides being a 

 ' vegetable ' food even if it is ' dried.' Few of us are aware 

 of the new firms which successfully dry green vegetables for 

 the use of mankind in winter. Here again some of our 

 feathered stock might reap a benefit, and a home industry be 

 encouraged, also a rural occupation be increased as well as 

 promoted. I shall speak of 'fresh' green Pheasant food 

 further on. Even in this case, as I said before, a great deal 

 depends on the rearing-field. 



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