. Our domestic birds; elementary lessons in aviculture . seof a part of it. Under such circumstances each group will keepto its own range. The natural food of the ostrich is grass and the leaves ofshrubs and trees. In domestication it is usually pastured onalfalfa, or fed on alfalfa hay, according to the season. Thealfalfa is often supplemented with grain (principally corn), andgrit, bone, and shell are provided as for other birds. Most ostrich growers prefer to hatch the eggs in incubators,because by removing the eggs from the nests they induce thehens to lay more, and because the young ostri
. Our domestic birds; elementary lessons in aviculture . seof a part of it. Under such circumstances each group will keepto its own range. The natural food of the ostrich is grass and the leaves ofshrubs and trees. In domestication it is usually pastured onalfalfa, or fed on alfalfa hay, according to the season. Thealfalfa is often supplemented with grain (principally corn), andgrit, bone, and shell are provided as for other birds. Most ostrich growers prefer to hatch the eggs in incubators,because by removing the eggs from the nests they induce thehens to lay more, and because the young ostriches are mucheasier to manage when by themselves than when with the oldbirds. When a pair of ostriches hatch their own eggs, the hensits during the day and the cock at night. The period of in-cubation is six weeks. Young ostriches are fed the same as old ones. They arekept in flocks of fifty or more until about a year old, when thesexes are separated. The plumes are cut for the first time whenthe birds are between six and seven months old. Although the. p p 237 238 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS process of removing these feathers is called plucking, they arenot drawn out, but are cut close to the skin. The object is toget the feather immediately after it is grown, before it can besoiled or damaged in any way. At that time the quill is stillfull of blood. Drawing it out would be very painful to the bird,and might injure the wing so that the next feather that grewwould be defective. The stumps of the feathers are allowed toremain until they are dead and dry, when they are drawn outeasily. In South Africa the Kafirs draw the stumps out withtheir teeth. In about six or seven months after the stumps areremoved, the new plumes are grown and the process of pluckingis repeated. CHAPTER XVII PIGEONS The pigeon is the only species of aerial bird kept in do-mestication to provide food for man. It is also the only usefuldomestic bird that is able to maintain itself and increase innumbers in populous d
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