. Our wild fowl and waders . ow reared even more easily than pheas-ants are, and the young birds seem less subject to dis-eases. At one time the small bantams were regarded as thebest foster-mothers for pheasants and ducks, but thecommon barnyard fowls of all breeds are now regardedas good as any; the most docile hens and those whichare the more easily handled at the feeding time arebetter than hens which are wild and unruly, since thelast named break the eggs. Duck eggs are more fragilethan the eggs of poultry. At a duck preserve in New Jersey, where I spent sometime studying the gamekeepers

• Contributor: Reading Room 2020 / Alamy Stock Photo
• Image ID: 2CP2C27
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. Our wild fowl and waders . ow reared even more easily than pheas-ants are, and the young birds seem less subject to dis-eases. At one time the small bantams were regarded as thebest foster-mothers for pheasants and ducks, but thecommon barnyard fowls of all breeds are now regardedas good as any; the most docile hens and those whichare the more easily handled at the feeding time arebetter than hens which are wild and unruly, since thelast named break the eggs. Duck eggs are more fragilethan the eggs of poultry. At a duck preserve in New Jersey, where I spent sometime studying the gamekeepers art, the sitting hens areplaced in boxes which are built inside of a hatchinghouse (see illustration) extending from the floor nearlyto the low ceiling. The hens are tested on eggs until itis ascertained that they will sit steadily, when some of theduck eggs, which have been gathered in large numbers,are placed under them. The eggs when they are gathered are placed on endin a tray containing bran, sawdust, hay or other suit-. .q H H P % O W N o s ■A W O t) H to ^ fe bl] O a r^ K nl o H K H a H :^< k5 a a ARTIFICIAL REARING OF WILD DUCKS 53 able material. They are turned daily and will remainfertile for several weeks, during which time they areplaced under the hens or in incubators. From ten to fifteen eggs can be hatched under a com-mon hen, but it is well not to have too many, since thehen may not cover them all. Mr. De Visme Shaw sayslet the clutch number no more than seven if the hen isset in cold weather, and in no case more than ten. Iam inclined to believe that most hens can handle adozen eggs, in proper nests, nicely, but the breeder canlearn by experimenting just what his hens can do.When the eggs are abundant and the hens scarce it iswell to put them to their full capacity. Captain Oatesadvises making the clutch twelve eggs for hens andthirteen for ducks, and, he says, five of his duckshatched no fewer than sixty-five ducklings. He ad-vises leaving two or three eg