CHAPTER V. 



PHEASANTS : Hand-rearing. -Hatching-Houses. Hatching- 

 Boxes. Care of the Foster-Hen. 



THE hand-rearing of pheasants for sport has developed to 

 such an enormous extent of late years, and is carried on 

 under such varying circumstances, that it would be quite 

 impossible to include within the limits of this work detailed 

 information as to what particular scheme of operations 

 would be most applicable to each particular set of circum- 

 stances under which hand-rearing of pheasants may be 

 pursued. It will be more profitable to follow the process 

 through as applied to the rearing of, say, 1000 or 1500 

 birds, and point out as the matter proceeds where and how 

 the general system evolved can be modified. 



It being understood that, no matter what the number of 

 birds being reared, they cannot all be hatched off at the 

 same time, but must come forward in relays, it follows then 

 that the first point for decision is how many clutches of 

 eggs are to be set at one time, to be succeeded week by 

 week by the other batches as they come along. Of course, 

 endeavour must be made to have the birds as early as 

 possible; but inasmuch as it rarely occurs that the 

 arrangements are such that all birds can be brought off at 

 the first hatching, it is advisable to extend the whole of the 

 hatchings over five weeks, which, counting from about the 

 first week in May, will see the last hatch of birds " off " 

 by the middle of June ; in other words, partridge-hatching 



