Should incubate or should not?

[HannahZuni]

We have about 12 female ringneck pheasants and 4 males. We find 2-4 eggs scattered around their enclosure.Where we have them now it's between 30-40 degrees fahrenheit during the day and around 20 in the night. We do not know when they were laid, but is it worth to incubate them? If so what temp and humidity I have a Little Giant Still Air Bator. I had chicks before in it and about 8 hatched out of 22 eggs. Also how long do I need to incubate them for?

 

[Tony K T]

You can store eggs down to 40 degrees,so I would collect them daily so they don't freeze.wait until it warms up and thensee if any of the hens are interested in setting.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[HannahZuni]

You can store eggs down to 40 degrees,so I would collect them daily so they don't freeze.wait until it warms up and thensee if any of the hens are interested in setting.
In N.H.,Tony.

That's the thing I try to put them back in their nests and they just push them back outside. I do not have any other chickens to put them under. Plus here it will not get warmer till about end of April we live in WI.

 

[Tony K T]

I would eat them.You will have plenty of eggs to come from 12 hens.I wouldn't be surprised that you get at least 400 eggs from 12 hens by the time they stop laying this year.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[HannahZuni]

I would eat them.You will have plenty of eggs to come from 12 hens.I wouldn't be surprised that you get at least 400 eggs from 12 hens by the time they stop laying this year.
In N.H.,Tony.

I do not know if this will help, but most of them are first timers except for 1 male and 1 female. I am also worried that the eggs might have froze, but it is less likely. There is also one male who fights with everyone if you not keep an eye on him. could it be an issue with their feed?

 

[Tony K T]

How big is your pen?They should be fertile their first year.Well if they froze bring them in thaw them and then hard boil them and feed them to your birds.You will have to crush them up so they can't identify them as eggs or they may start eating the eggs they lay.Shells and all just crush them up good.
I would get rid of 2 of your males also.A male can breed up to 10 hens in ringnecks with no problems.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[007Sean]

What size pen are these birds enclosed. Ring-necked males are very aggressive, especially against other males. As far as temperature goes....follow Tony's advice. Ring-necked pheasants in an enclosed pen tend to lay their eggs all over the enclosure. Collect the eggs in the pen now and do what ever you want to with them, start collecting them during the day before the temps get to freezing and incubate them. Temp on still air incubators should be 103 deg. Takes 24-26 days to incubate.

 

[thePrincd]

Living in Oregon, I have been gathering my pheasant eggs mid day and before sunset. Store the eggs in a cool, unheated space like a basement or cellar until you are ready to incubate, turning eggs once or twice a day. Ringnecks hatch in 23-24 days, and should be turned until day 21.

 

[HannahZuni]

What size pen are these birds enclosed. Ring-necked males are very aggressive, especially against other males. As far as temperature goes....follow Tony's advice. Ring-necked pheasants in an enclosed pen tend to lay their eggs all over the enclosure. Collect the eggs in the pen now and do what ever you want to with them, start collecting them during the day before the temps get to freezing and incubate them. Temp on still air incubators should be 103 deg. Takes 24-26 days to incubate.

644 square feet. Also why do they eat the feathers that are dropped by others?

 

[007Sean]

Ok, well let's see....feathers are made of the protein keratin. The same keratin that's found in hair and finger nails. Also, the same as found in scaled animals....well almost the same, the compounds found in feathers are a little different than in scales. Anyway, not to bore you but the feathers are "protein". This is why birds will eat feathers. What % protein are you feeding your birds?
On your other questions, the enclosure is big enough for the number of birds you have....Tony is correct, in that, you only need 1 male for that number of hens. Im surprised you haven't already had a "blood bath" take place with that number of males. I would seperate the other 3 males if possible? They can be kept in a seperate pen if it's not located near the pen with the hens, otherwise, they will still fight. HTH