Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-10-05
RAISING OF PHEASANTS.
EGGS iNcU6ATED BY LITTLE
BANTAM HENS.

Experiments With Mechanical lneu-
bators Have Proved Failure
Why II is Economy to Use the Do
mesticated Hen for Setting.
The Eastern Shore English pleas
ant preserve Of Mr.. John Harrison,
on the Chesapeake shore, in Dorches-
ter County has been entirely re-
stocked with a vigorous lot of birds
taken from the wild on the ranges
of De Guise, in New York State. Mr.
Busick, manager of this extensive
Maryland game preserve, had much
difficulty last year in securing a
strong stock of pheasants, the fatal
difficult operation of bringing the
introduction of new birds to the rang
es.
Thirty-fve new breeds of the pure
ringneck or English strain have ar
rived at "The Moors," and are now in
winter quarters in the breeding pens.
About 100 wild birds are also in the
natural covers, and will aid material
ly the breeding stock
MI Du6lGh 10 dA GAGGDllOudllg but-
cessful pheasant fancier, and is prob
ably the only one on this side of the
Bay who has successfully pursued the
difficult operation of bringing the
birds to state Of maturity on a large
scale. Pheasants are probably more
difficult TO propagate than any other
bird grown in this country, and in
producing them successfully a scien-
tific knowledge of the subject is most
essential. The practical methods in
use at the hatcheries of "The Moors"
differ materially in many respects
from those pursued by many Of the
large Northern fanciers.
The breeding pens at "The Moors"
cover over an acre of ground. and
are furnished with dense artificial
coverts of green cedar. Each of these
runs is occupied during the spring
and summer months by six females
and cock bird, and from these pens
come all the eggs used in the plant
Eggs, on being taken from the pens,
are entrusted to the care of bantam
hens of which a large stock of good
sitters is required in the Matching
house during the incubating season.
Experiments and mechanical incu.
bators in this department proved a
failure, and after several breeds of
| chickens, including the leghorn and
games, had been given a trial with
the delicate pheasant eggs. Sea
brights and bantams were awarded
the contract of bringing out the
| young birds from the shells. After
Matching the hens are kept with the
young birds until the youngsters start
out a full covering of feathers. In
large ranges covered and inclosed
young birds begin active life, remain
ing under the protection of the wire
until their legs and wings are strong
enough to enable them to escape the
hawks and carnivorous animals,
among which the opossum, weasel and
mink figure conspicuously, and all of
which seem to regard pheasant meat
with high favor. When reared in these
contracted ranges the birds are
necessarily thrown in contact with
their keeper much of the time, and
become as tame as chickens; but
strange to say, when they are liber.
ated from the pens their wild instinct
comes suddenly to them, and one OF
two days is sufficient to make them as
wild as If they were reared by theiI
mothers in the wild state without the
aid of man.
The object of incubating and rear
ing the young pheasants with bantam
hens is to keep the pheasant hens
laying during the time when, If they
were allowed to retain the eggs, they
would be occupied with sitting. AS
the current price of pheasant eggs
for Matching purposes is from SO tc
$6 per dozen, it is great economy tC
utilize the domesticated chickens in
doing the work for the pheasant hens
Baltimore Sun.