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



Of course, the eggs laid during April are more valuable 

 than those produced at any other time, and my readers 

 must understand also there is a great difference in the 

 laying qualities of pheasants, just the same as there is in 

 fowls. When the Chinese blood is introduced, it brings 

 larger eggs and a greater number of them. 



Pheasant-keeping has become quite an industry during 

 the last few years. Many hundreds of Cottagers keep 

 them for the purpose of selling their eggs in the season. 



There is always a great demand for stock pheasants 

 during January and February, and the hens make long prices, 

 seldom realising less than 10/6 and 21/- ; cocks can be bought 

 a trifle cheaper. There is also a deal of disappointment 

 in buying pheasants, as some breeders buy up a lot of 

 two-year-old birds, and sell them as young ones, and it 

 these happen to have been fed on maize, not more than 

 three out of twenty live to the next August. 



After hen pheasants have laid for two years they are 

 not of much value, unless they have been brought up 

 with a good range, then they are as likely to lay as well 

 as they did in their second year, but when they have 

 been kept in close confinement they are bound to fall off 

 in condition after the first two years. I always' think 

 two-year-old hens produce rather stronger young pheasants 

 than young hens, because the eggs are a trifle larger and 

 the germ is stronger. 



I usually mate those with young cocks and the young 

 hens I mate with two-year-old cocks, that strengthens 

 the germs. I do not mean to imply that the young 

 pheasants the first year will not breed together, they will. 



