Y. Malisoux—Must Pheasants Roost?



45



not be produced with an open box. In this case the birds should be

compelled to sleep on a very thick litter of straw, perfectly dry, and

made of two different layers, the one below tightly pressed, the other

rather loose to enable the birds to squat in it.


I should be indebted to readers of this magazine who might have

made a similar experiment or would be willing to do so, and I should

be glad to know of the results. Perhaps I shall not be able to thank

them in such English as this article, with which Mr. Lambert has lent

a helpful hand, but I should be grateful all the same, and with me all

aviculturists I am sure. The establishment of one single fact is of more

value to this science than the enthusiastic goodwill which is generally

prevailing amongst all true aviculturists.


Readers who might want the design of a good and cheap box may

apply to the author of this article.


Fireback Chicks


We have already said that there is no problem concerned with adult

Eirebacks ; a like remark applies to the chicks. There is a general rule

for Pheasant chicks of all species. They must be supplied with a certain

amount of heat until they cease to grow. During early “ chickhood ”

the fostermother hen (or lamp) provides the necessary amount and later

on the heat of the summer months is sufficient. But if the chicks are

late hatched the little summer left is all too short for them. The same

applies to the slow-growing species, and here I am referring to those

Pheasants which do not reach the adult stage until they are two or

three years old, even if not late hatched. In both cases the warmth

that the summer months has provided must be artificially extended,

otherwise one must expect to lose some chicks. The remedy is neither

difficult nor expensive. From a breeding point of view we roughly divide

our chicks as follows : (1) The quick-growing species, (i) early hatched,


(ii) later, (iii) late ones ; (2) slow-growing species, (i) early, (ii) later,


(iii) late.


For instance, a young Edwards hatched in July is treated in the

same way as a Fireback of the same age or thereabouts, or perhaps to

be more exact as a Fireback a little older because Firebacks grow

more slowly.



