THE GAME BREEDER 



77 



the eggs cannot be found and gathered 

 as they are when the ducks are confined. 

 Some or all of the drakes may be per- 

 mitted to fly about but they will spend 

 most of their time on the pond or its 

 shores in company with the ducks. 

 Three or four ducks to each drake are 

 claimed the proper proportion of sexes 

 by most gamekeepers. The ducks will 

 lay sixty or even more eggs if the eggs 

 be gathered and hatched under barnyard 

 hens or in incubators as they should be. 

 It is a beautiful sight to see a good 



flock of wild ducks wheeling about in 

 the air, the sun shining on the bright 

 wing markings and on the brilliant green 

 heads of the mallards. I observed many 

 wild ducks last summer from a car 

 window which were put on wing by the 

 noise of the train and since they wheeled 

 about and were returning to their pond 

 before the train had passed, I knew 

 they were hand-reared fowl attached to 

 the place. The number of places which 

 have wild ducks is increasing very ra- 

 pidly in America. 



MY PHEASANTS. 



By Mrs. Martin Almy. 



I have read with much interest the 

 articles on the hatching and rearing of 

 pheasants. I purchased a setting of Chi- 

 nese ringneck eggs last May and used 

 a Plymouth Rock hen for hatching. She 

 had chosen a corner in my brooder house 

 for her nest so as I did not wish to dis- 

 turb her I had my husband cut a large 

 piece of sod and this I placed in brooder 

 house. I hollowed out the sod in the 

 center, putting in straw enough to pre- 

 vent eggs from rolling out. 



I hatched nine chicks from twelve 

 eggs. One the hen killed by kicking a 

 piece of sod on it. I left the hen and 

 chicks in the brooder house for three 

 days during which time they ate very 

 little. I then put the hen and chicks in 

 an enclosed yard 22 feet by 30 feet. I 

 put an old umbrella in the yard and that 

 was all the shelter they have had all sum- 

 mer. 



I fed them boiled eggs and boiled po- 

 tatoes, both mashed very fine, with let- 

 tuce or onions cut fine and mixed. This 

 I fed for ten days. I then gave them 

 whole hemp and canary seed, half and 

 half, alternating this with cheese curd 

 which I made quite dry. This was their 

 staple food for two months. I then 



gave them the same as I fed my hens 

 scratch feed with plenty of green food. 

 They are especially fond of lettuce. I 

 keep plenty of shells and fresh water be- 

 fore them. 



I have had no trouble whatever in 

 raising my birds, but as this is my first 

 attempt I do not know what luck I 

 might have with a larger number. I think 

 they will prove profitable to me as sev- 

 eral have declared their intention of pur- 

 chasing eggs in the spring. 



My birds have cost me about 17 cents' 

 apiece so far, for I had the milk for curd 

 and had my own eggs with which to feed 

 them. I expect to sell eggs and raise 

 more pheasants next spring. 



I have made a shelter of cornstalks fas- 

 tened securely to a stake driven in the 

 ground and they use it whenever we 

 have a severe wind or rainstorm. I do 

 not know how it will work this winter 

 but will keep the snow away from the 

 openings and I am sure they will use 

 it as they seem to feel more at home in 

 it than in a building. 



I hope my experience will encourage 

 some other reader of The Game 

 Breeder to raise more pheasants. 



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