Pheasants??

[Keisha]

Well we have ordered 10 pheasants and 15 Cornish Rock. From a hatchery very close to me, so we will beable to pick them up. But we wont be getting them untill June ish, because thats when they start hatching them. I was just wondering if anyone has ever brroded pheasants, and had any informaiton on them. Like anything special that has to be done to them or? .... I know about the chickens though, since we have 24 in out coop/brooder right now.

 

[Ladyknieval]

Where are you getting pheasants in Iowa, Murray or Welp or where? I've thought about raising them too, and my neighbor's brother built a flight for some he got.

 

[Ladyknieval]

Try the website, www.gamebird.com. They have some tips on there. I just subscribed to Game Bird and Conservationist's Gazette and got my first issue, but the article in it was more about hatching pheasants and nothing on brooding. Maybe the website will have more tips!

 

[thndrdancr]

Lady,
I was in Orschelns in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday and they had a bunch of pheasants. One stole my heart away, I wanted her soooo bad, she kept pacing the lil area they had her in and if they didnt cost $10, I would have gone ahead and got her. They didnt have a box, I was ready to grab her out of there and put her in my pocket to go pay for her.

I live in the city tho, and I have heard they are delicate, so I didnt buy her, but the poor lil thing really wanted OUT bad. She kept nosing the corner and pacing and putting her lil beak thru the slits,and cheeping at me, whereas all the others were just eating or in the back part cheeping, but this one, she was asking me to take her home. She was so tiny, I am sure she wouldnt make it, she was just toooooo insistent on wanting freedom. She sure took my heart tho.

They seem to sell well, even at $10 a pop. Last time I was in there, they had a bunch (group of 30 or more) and they had a SOLD sign on them. They dont always have them, so you would have to check and not sure how long a drive it would be for you. I think they have an Orschelns in Omaha as well.

 

[Keisha]

Quote:
Decorah hatchery
www.decorahhatchery.com
They have good quality chicks, I've gotten all mine from there so far. Thanks for the website I will have to check it out.

 

[Bantymama]

I have just hatched out some pheasants and put some in the brooder this morning. I have a large tub i put them in and am using an infared light. This is my first time with raising them. I was told they need lots of room so they dont get board. After about a week i plan on moving them to a larger area. My biggest worry is cannaailism. I will still use the same light to keep it a little darker to help prevent any pecking at each other. They say that they are attracted to the color green so i have their food and water in green containers. After a week old thay can be let out doors on warm suuny afternoons. If you can not let them out put green branches and weeds in their pen will help curtail cannibalism. I am going to hang a head of lettuce in their pen to keep them occupied. I will let you know how it goes and any thing i learn from them.

 

[Royal Oaks Ranch]

Best way to curtail the pecking is to give them plenty of room and a high protein diet.. Crumbled up boiled egg on the top of the feed each day along with good gamebird starter. Dont let them become over crowded, they grow really fast so be prepared to move them to a bigger pen as needed..
They are susceptible to drafts.
They can be hand tamed... Specially once they figure out you are serving eggs LOL..They also fly very early so be sure to have the top covered well so that when you go to open the pen they dont fly out at you LOL.
As far as the hen above that was fence walking... Pheasants are known for that.. Give them 20 acres they will find the fenceline.. The trick is to give them stuff in the pen.. some hay bales scattered around, limbs for perching, a brush pile... Some rocks, etc..
Have the feeder in one area, put the waterer somewhere else.. Scatter cracked corn on the ground so they can scratch and hunt for it.. Give them room to do a little flying.. even so expect some to still walk the fenceline sometimes... They just do that..
One good thing though is if some ever got out, you just wait til dark and go check with a blue lense light and withen 3 days you will most likely find your lost pheasant right back at the pen... They want the safety of their home.. Blue lense because they dont see it so it doesnt scare them like a red or white light will.. Red is defineitly better than white but blue works the best..
And I actually brood mine with either a white light or a red light based on what is avail at the feed store when I need more.. Long as they have room and high protein it shouldnt really matter...