The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-07-12
Pheasants.

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Pheasants.
TRANSLATED for the Farmers Review
from the French of Ad. Benion.)
The pheasant is beautiful bird that
has been greatly in repute for a num-
Der OF centuries. The plumage is
bright and the flesh extremely deli
cate. There are three principal varie-
ties known: The common pheasant,
the silver pheasant and the gilded
pheasant. There are seven other va
rieties less extensively known: The
ash-colored pheasant, the variegated
pheasant, the ringed pheasant, the
Monaghan pheasant, the green pleas
ant, the copper-colored pheasant and
the sparkling pheasant.
The pheasant loves his liberty and is
not yet enough domesticated to live in
the poultry yard among the other
fowls. 1t Is absolutely necessary, there
fore, to keep them in small yard COW
cred by nets or else in an aviary.
They are very sensitive to wind, to
the frost and to the rain, and on this
account the breeding places of these
birds should be exposed to the east,
but sheltered on the north and west
sides. The quarters must be spacious,
covered with turf, dry and divided in
to as many compartments as there are
varieties of pheasants, and provided
with nests which should be partly con-
cealed by matted straw, for the pur-
pose of procuring the tranquility of the
layers.
The laying of the pheasants Is effect
ed easily enough, but the same is not
true Of the incubation. It is advisable
to confide this task to hens, which ac-
quit themselves infinitely better Of this
task, and which tame to a certain ex-
tent the little pheasants, always some
what wild. The female pheasant lays
from twenty to twenty-five eggs. The
time of incubation is twenty-three to
twenty-seven days. Generally not
more than seven pheasants will be
raised out Of the entire number Of eggs
laid at one clutch.
1t is necessary, at the time of the
laying, to redouble the vigilance in re-
gard to the pheasants, to attract them
into places prepared to receive their
eggs, removing also the newly laid eggs
for fear Of their being broken by the
female. The eggs are placed under
small hens sitting in separate apart
ments furnished with hay fine and dry.
The other cares concern the raising of
the young birds, which is about the
same as that of chickens.
The newly Matched flock should be
placed in a special box, where they
may be left to the care of the brooding
hen that has Matched them. Having
shut up the young ones with their
adopted mother, they should be fed
with ant eggs, millet, hard-boiled eggs
minced with pieces of bread and let
tuce
Some pheasant raisers affirm that
they obtain very good results with
paste made of cooked beef, pieces of
bread, hard-boiled eggs and chickory,
all minced very fine and carefully
mixed. Other raisers employ boiled
rice, chervil, chicory, pieces of bread,
hard-boiled eggs, crushed hemp seed
and corn meal, and say that they find
1t very good
When the young ones have reached
the age of fifteen days they can be al
lowed the run of the poultry yard and
be fed on hemp seed and wheat. At
two months and half of age the tail
develops, and they reach critical
point in their lives where those not
carefully tended die. Those that pass
that point safely become soon fully
developed, and If properly cared for,
provided with fresh water and good
grain, are no longer in danger.
In their wild state pheasants eat
grain of all kinds, juniper ber-
ries, grains of broom corn, in
sects, forms, snails, and ants. Their
nourishment in the parks consists
Of buckwheat, miliet, barley, rye and
other small grain. Hemp seed warns
up the female pheasants and predis-
poses them to laying, but 1t is not
necessary to abuse the use of this
grain, and it Is advisable often to tenn
per its effects by the feeding of green
stuff, notably chicory, dandelions, cab
bage, clover, groundsel, minette and
so forth. Toward the end of June the
hemp seed should be entirely discon-
tinued.