40 M. Amsler—Breeding Results at Delmonden Manor


if one has a shelter to the aviary, to drive the cock in each morning

and not to liberate him until the eggs have been collected last thing

in the evening.


There are different opinions as to the storage of eggs until one

has enough for a sitting—many people stand the eggs point down in

bran, but as the result of a good deal of inquiry from experienced

breeders I pack my eggs in wood-wool in tin boxes and each day the

box is turned over completely—all the eggs thus get a turn each day.


All eggs are examined about the eighth day of incubation,

and infertile ones removed.


The broodies, by the way, should be carefully chosen ; any with

scaly legs should be discarded, and all, whether one’s own or borrowed,

should be smothered with pyrethrum powder or Keating’s, both while

on the dummy eggs and also a day or two before hatching. This

application should be more especially applied along the back, rump,

and just under the wings. When the eggs begin to chip the hen is

left on the nest and gets neither food nor water even if the process

takes a day or a day and a half.


After this length of time it may be assumed that any unhatched

eggs only contain dead chicks—the youngsters are then collected by

hand, placed in a warm box, indoors if the weather is cold, and the

foster-mother taken out and given a good feed and drink, after which

she is replaced in her box and her family is returned to her until they

are all quite dry.


The next step is the removal to a coop. All beginners, like myself,

wish to feed the chicks quite early, but it is a well-known fact that

they are best without either food or water for twenty-four to thirty-

six hours, there being sufficient food and moisture in their yolk-sacs.


It is well known that young Pheasants do not at first recognize

or respond to the call of the foster-mother and that they will wander

away and be lost if given full liberty like so many chickens when first

cooped. It is usual to. have a “ run-out ” fitted to the coop for the

first few days. A much better plan is to drive half a dozen stakes into

the ground, forming a 9 ft. circle around the coop : to these is tied

a length of J in. mesh wire netting about 2 feet high. The chicks are

thus able to run round the coop and get their sense of orientation in



