The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-06
THE PROPAGATION o1@
 OF GAME BIRDS

gBy Herbert K Job, State sOrnitholo-
 gist of Connecticut.)
 In view of the great public interest in saving and increasing the birds, particularly those species used for rood the State ithologist of Con necticut. for the State. and under The tson has devoted much of hisEti1ne for she past two years to reseafches, ex- periments and observations in the pTopa gation and increase of the gall1- uaceous game-birds and the Wilu-fowl. Various private estates and game-pre- serves have allied themselves with the Experiment Station in a plan of operation, and the OrnithoIogist has worked with them and also visited and inspected others where game-biro rearing is practiced. The result is large fund of important information. with the assurance that the propaga- ton of game-birds will soon be quite generally carried successfully, for commercial and other purposes.
 The key to the new method is that ir has been ascertained by experiment that most, and probably all, kinds or types Of galIinaceous game-birds can Fee raised with hens as foster-mothers, and will follow and remain with them unrestrained in the open, without be- ing shut in We have tried this out successfully on a small scale, and seen or known of it being done by others, with quail. partridge or rufed grouse, native Oregon pheasants, several west ern quaiis, Hungarian partridge, wild turkey, and other species
 The mysterious game-bird epidenics, one of which carried off our young quail at the Experiment Station year ago, when they were nearly full grown are nos, generally, imported contagious. but troubles, mostly of the digestive tract. which arise; partlcu- sarly with young birds, under wrong conditions of restraint, over-crowd1ng and fouling of the ground. The whole hing reduces itself down to the de- tails of a simple system. of technique which Is perfectly practicable. Here tofore it has been considered neces- Sary to keep the young birds shut up in order to be able to hold them Now that experience shows that they can be controlled and captured under system of free range. the whole matter is vastly simpiified. and the problem seems in good way for full. practical solution Some persons, who seem to -soSsesz a certain tact in handling birdes- are able to raise game-birds, in- rIuding quail, in considerable mum sers 1z-ld have recently done so: Ger tain details, of course, await further investigation. Yet, pending the out eome of our bacteriologica1, and other researches. we tt are dfsas9as dea[nlng no" u
 It has been encoura ging and anus ing to watch broods of young quail rt1fIy grown, as late a November, Obe- iiently following their bantam foster mothers among the brush and grass m the open pasture When wanted .hev can be enticed by food into a uen If the plan Is to stock that par ticulaz- locality, the hen is taken away when the young are about two months
 
 -he same general locality, thoroughly attached to it. and hereafter they take rare of themselves This is the sim r1iest and safest method. as the birds do not have to be caught or handled A little grain will hold them to their feedfng-places and help them through the winter. What breeding-stock Is required each year can be enriced into 1ensI The young. under this regime are in a sort of half-wild state. They -au be kept gentle, or soon made thor 1ughlv wild by driving them, once or twice We have done these things with suail and on one farm, this season, hrood of ruffed grouse were reared in his way The hen hatvned seven -hfcks from nine eggs. and reared six of the young cartridges to maturity. she was finally removed but in early November her coyey was still gf1olding together in the brush at-stf1e Fedge of
 If cats and other predatory animals are allowed to range unchecked, of rourse, they will catch more or less rf the young But on good game farms, with careful supervision, they ao not get many. Reasonable care EfIi minimize the loss. Remember kaat young broods in the wild state are constantly menaced by vernin yet good proportion escape. In places Ehere -<ermin cannot be controlled, mother method which we have work Bd out might be used A large fenced held Is Used without covering. The ks~@ Szn2der about with the broods.