42 



Points on Care and Breeding of Pheasants, etc. 



Of the varieties suitable only for the aviary the best to raise are the Golden, Silver, 

 Lady Amherst, Swinhoe and the Argus. The last named is a vision of beauty when his 

 feathers are spread, but is rarer than the others. The Swinhoe is distinguished from all 

 others by the fact that the hen is almost as gorgeous in raiment as the cock To make a 

 start, either eggs or pheasants themselves may be procured. If eggs are obtained, they may 

 be hatched under an ordinary farmyard hen, or, better yet, a bantam hen, which is the 

 best of mothers. The eggs hatch in from twenty-two to twenty-five days, according to the 

 variety whence they come. The chicks have a tendency to escape through tiny holes for 

 two or three days, until they learn the call of the mother hen, and in consequence the nests 

 wherein they are hatched should be carefully inclosed in a dark coop. 



After the third day the chicks will respond to the mother's call and want food. 



On the question of the best food for the chicks the breeders differ. This need not bother 

 the beginner, however. If he gives them boiled custard, made dry and crumbly, he will 

 experience no trouble. If in addition he can give finely chopped lettuce or onion, his chicks will 

 thrive the better. Some maintain that the chicks cannot be raised without some kind of 



SILVER AND GOLDEN PHEASANTS KEPT IN THE SAME RUN WITH SQUAB BREEDERS 



animal food, such as maggots or some kind of meat mixture, but such persons are usually in- 

 terested one way or another in the exploitation of some proprietary food. As the chicks 

 grow, meal and grain may be sub.=;tituted for soft food. The young ones may be taken from 

 the mother when six weeks old and put into a shed and runway of their own. At the age of 

 four weeks the young birds will begin to fly, and as they are very wild it is best to clip one or 

 both wings. As they grow to maturity they become tame and the "fancy" varieties may be 

 set free on lawns. 



At night the pheasants should be driven into the aviary. In this the roosts should be of 

 2x4 scantling hung about two feet from the ground. If the game varieties are raised, 

 they should not be released from the wire inclosure until ready to liberate on the estate where 

 they are expected to propagate in the wild state, for they are wild and would vanish if let 

 loose before their allotted time. 



During the laying season some care must be exercised to prevent the loss of the eggs. 

 The pheasant makes a primitive nest at best, and often no nest at all. From her perch 

 on a roost the hen often drops the eggs on the ground. The breeding season for pheasants 

 is usually from April to August. 



