34 w. cook's turkey, goose, and pheasant book. 



These birds nearly always do well in the natural state 

 where there is a running stream, so that the old parents 

 can take them down to drink. Strange to say, however, 

 a great many young pheasants in their natural state never 

 have anything to drink till they are half-grown, unless it 

 rains, and there are puddles standing about, except the 

 dew drops in the morning which they take off the grass as 

 soon as it is daylight. Many pheasants are reared on 

 chalk hills, where there is not a drop of water for miles. 

 To prevent gapes, it is best to give some roup powder 

 about three times a week in the soft food in the morning. 

 I have never known a single case of gapes amongst 

 pheasants where the roup powder has been used. 



As young pheasants are very delicate, it is well to rear 



them on fresh ground as much as possible, this too will 



often prevent gapes, and a preventative is always better 



than a cure. The best cure T know of for this disease 



in pheasants is to put about four of the birds at a time 



in a small box, and a little slack lime, then shake the box 



up and the pheasants inhale the lime down the windpipe 



and that kills the worms. If the young birds are not 



too weak, they will throw up the worms in coughing, but, 



.as a rule, there are very few cured, whatever measures are 



used. With great care the worms may be got out of 



the windpipe with a feather from the pheasant's wings. 



One of the flight feathers should be put down the wind 



pipe, about two-and-a-half inches, and twisted round three 



■or four times quickly. If this is done, it will often bring 



from two to six of the worms up and a few young 



pheasants may be saved, but I repeat again, it is much 



