24 



RECREATION. 



night 1 give wheat and rice. The birds 

 should have plenty of green food, such as 

 lettuce, chickweed, cabbage and grass sods. 

 They especially enjoy the sods, eating roots 

 and all but the dirt. I keep oyster shells 

 by them, and they are fond of old brick 

 mortar, cinders and coal ashes. 



The eggs must be gathered every day and 

 placed in fresh bran, small end down, and 

 turned every day until set. The shorter 

 time they are kept before being set, the bet- 

 ter. Keep in a cool, dry place, in a covered 

 box. 



Buff Pekin bantams m«ake the best sitters 

 and mothers, as they are quiet and light in 

 weight, hence not so likely to break the 

 eggs as are larger hens. I always hatch in 

 an incubator, taking from hens as soon as 

 pipped. Then there is no danger from lice 

 or that the little birds will get away and 

 hide or will be killed by the hen. I should 

 always raise in a brooder even if hens hatch 

 them. 



A good nest may be made by placing a 

 strong sod in the box where the hen is to 

 sit, and pouring it nest shape in the 

 center, being sure there are no loose sticks 

 or stones to mix with the eggs. Fine, 

 soft hay or pine needles may be used for 

 lining, and it is ready for the eggs, which, 

 for a bantam, should not be more than 10. 

 Great care must be taken to have the box so 

 constructed that the young birds can not 

 creep away or jump out and hide. I have 

 known many cases where they have got 

 away from the hen when first hatched and 

 have never been seen afterward. 



Eggs are due to hatch on the 22d day. 

 I have had large experience with incuba- 

 tors, but hesitate to recommend them for 

 pheasant eggs, although I have had good 

 hatches in the machines. 



When the chicks are 36 hours old they, 

 with the hen, should be moved to a pre- 

 pared coop out of doors, on grass ground. 

 A small, tight yard should connect with 

 coop, <and grass should be mown close. 

 They should be kept in this until they learn 

 the call of the hen. Then they may be al- 

 lowed to run out until time for the hen to 

 wean them. Feed same as when using 

 brooder. The hen should be taken out and 

 fed, or the yard partitioned with a board 12 

 inches wide and her food placed on the side 

 away from the chicks. 



The birds, when first hatched, are very 

 small. They can go through a half-inch 

 mesh wire netting. One of the little birds 

 weighed 2 drams and one scruple, and it 

 took 2 of the largest to weigh an ounce. 

 They are wild, and if possible will escape. 

 One man bought some eggs and after they 

 were hatched he said the chicks were so 

 little and lively and wild he became doubt- 

 ful of being able to do anything with them, 

 and gave them to a friend, with the remark 



that he didn't feel caoable of raising hum- 

 ming birds or bumble bees. 



\oung pheasants are very tender the first 

 few weeks, and if allowed to get wet or 

 chilled are almost certain to die. In hot 

 weather they must be shaded from the sun, 

 as too much exposure to it will cause them 

 to die. As the weather is so variable dur- 

 ing pheasant raising time, incessant watch- 

 ing is required. 



When the little birds are 36 to 48 hours 

 old, I put them into a brooder. The kind 

 I use is the New England, my own make. 

 I use pine needles for covering the brooder 

 floor. I gather the needles the fall before, 

 so they are dry and free from insects. I 

 have a yard 2 feet square, made of boards 

 10 inches wide and covered with J/2-inch 

 mesh wire netting, which I attach to the 

 brooder. This yard is placed on fresh, 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY H. R. FOSTER 



3OO CHINESE PHEASANTS ON THEIR WAY TO THE 

 BROODERS. 



short grass, which is thoroughly raked so 

 it contains nothing the chicks can pick up 

 and eat. They will eat anything they see 

 that they can swallow, and this lack of dis- 

 crimination has caused the death of many. 

 In the sunny corner of the yard I put 2 

 shovels full of fresh earth, so the birds can 

 dust themselves to their hearts' content. 

 They are fond of dusting and of bask- 

 ing in the sun. This earth is renewed as 

 needed. I have an old window I put over 

 the top of this yard rainy days, and when 

 a shower comes up, I let the birds into this 

 yard the first or second day, according to 

 weather. They must have exercise or they 

 will not thrive. 



