14 year old daughter interested in starting pheasants

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Hello all. My daughter is interested in starting pheasants. We have had quail, currently have ducks, chickens, turkeys and an assortment of other critters.
Please post suggestions on breeds, pens, feeding, anything really, never had them so it's all new.
Thanks in advance.

 

[blackdust951]

Golden pheasants are the starter breed you can feed them much the same food as quail as they are both game birds i don't know much about them either so I can't say much also here is a link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-pheasant-pic-heavy-with-mutation-pics.67510/

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Thanks for the info...

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Well, it happened.lol
Was able to trade some chickens for 5 ringneck pheasants. 1 cock, 4 hens.
Daughter is thrilled and full of ideas and questions and is doing more research.
So am I!!!
Also, it was suggested to me by Ravynscroft to get in touch with @007Sean and introduce myself and pick his brain.
Hope he doesn't mind..

 

[007Sean]

Well, it happened.lol
Was able to trade some chickens for 5 ringneck pheasants. 1 cock, 4 hens.
Daughter is thrilled and full of ideas and questions and is doing more research.
So am I!!!
Also, it was suggested to me by Ravynscroft to get in touch with @007Sean and introduce myself and pick his brain.
Hope he doesn't mind..

Go ahead, pick away....hope I can be of some assistance!

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Go ahead, pick away....hope I can be of some assistance!

Thank you so much for answering.
OK, they are approx 4 months old.
I know there are alot of standard recommendations for pens, what I need to know is min size for a house and size for a run. Nest boxes? Preferred bedding, any supplements, is chick starter grower OK till I go to town Thursday, what grain do you recommend?
We did look up this I info but it varies so much from one source to another that it doesn't help me much.lol
Also, tips on handling. These are a bit skittish and she's hoping to tame them a bit.
Any other info you have other than the questions I came up with is also very welcome!
Thanks again!

 

[007Sean]

Thank you so much for answering.
OK, they are approx 4 months old.
I know there are alot of standard recommendations for pens, what I need to know is min size for a house and size for a run. Nest boxes? Preferred bedding, any supplements, is chick starter grower OK till I go to town Thursday, what grain do you recommend?
We did look up this I info but it varies so much from one source to another that it doesn't help me much.lol
Also, tips on handling. These are a bit skittish and she's hoping to tame them a bit.
Any other info you have other than the questions I came up with is also very welcome!
Thanks again!

Howdy,
How much room or land and finances do you have to build an enclosure? If you can? a 10' x 30' x 6' enclosure would be a good size for ring-necked pheasants. You could get by with a smaller enclosure if you had plenty of pheasant furniture; ie: plants, small trees, stumps, logs, shrubs, etc. If I had limited resources, I'd build a 10' x 20' x 6' at minimum. A completely covered metal roofed pen is best but expensive. I cover my pens with 1" square wire mesh. Loosely attached so when the birds fly up and hit it, it gives and their not as likely to break their necks or get a concussion. Much better than the poly mesh that some people use. I don't recommend the poly mesh, not predator proof at all. The shealtered part of the pens are covered with metal roofing. Also, needs a wire mesh apron around the entire enclosure to help keep predators from digging into the pen, about 2' out from the base board or a concrete foundation. Yes, predators can dig underneath concrete. My aprons are wire mesh, buried 3" to 4" deep, with concrete over the top of the soil, all the way around the enclosure. You can do things differently but once you have predator problems, you will wish you had done it this way. I use 1" square welded wire for the outside of the pen. Treated lumber is used throughout the enclosure/shealter. Some I painted with oil base paint, others got Thompsons water seal. Paint works best.
I presonally don't use nest boxes as ring-necked pheasants tend to lay their eggs anywhere in the enclosure. I have straw in the shealtered area, the runs are planted and have plenty of "furniture", this also helps with them "not" pacing the perimeter of the enclosure. Ring-necked pheasants tend to be highly aggressive during breeding season, so more places for the hens to hide and get away from the aggressors, the better.
I feed all my birds from hatch to death, 24% protein crumbles. I add some essential vitamins and minerals to their feed, ie; vitamin E, selenium, krill oil, vitamin A , to name a few. They also get scratch grains containing red wheat, parched barley, milo, black oil sunflower seed. I don't give the grain as their main source of feed. More as a treat but a small amount every day. With that being said, a good complete commercial feed will be adequate.

As far as taming them, if you handle them everyday (alot) they will tame down somewhat but will still be skittish. Golden pheasants tend to be the easiest to tame.
Do not build your pen anywhere near your other poultry. Chickens especially, have disease's that they can tolerate but will kill a pheasant. Biosecurity is paramount with pheasants but these practices should be performed with any of your poultry. This is how I raise my birds but your experince may differ and probably will, what works for me, may not for you.

I really like the fact, you said your daughter is researching everything....wished more people did that before obtaining pheasants or any animal for that matter. It's kinda too late after you have obtained them or hatching them and have no clue what your doing! There is plenty of information out there, if your willing to persever and find it but the best knowledge comes from "hands on" experince. HTH anymore questions just ask!

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Thank you!!!
I'm sure we can manage the smaller size you recommend and we use wire too! We are on 5 acres so I can build away from the main chicken area.
My chickens all full time free range, will it be a problem if they range around the pheasant enclosure as long as they don't have access to the inside?
I will pick up feed and supplements you recommend as well.
She's already been out 3times this morning catching and holding them.
She's a calm gentle child that has learned the art of letting critters get to know you slowly and with patience.
We home school so she has plenty of time to research and handle them.

 

[007Sean]

Thank you!!!
I'm sure we can manage the smaller size you recommend and we use wire too! We are on 5 acres so I can build away from the main chicken area.
My chickens all full time free range, will it be a problem if they range around the pheasant enclosure as long as they don't have access to the inside?
I will pick up feed and supplements you recommend as well.
She's already been out 3times this morning catching and holding them.
She's a calm gentle child that has learned the art of letting critters get to know you slowly and with patience.
We home school so she has plenty of time to research and handle them.

There are some people that would say that the free ranging chickens won't contaminate the pheasants....wild birds can infect penned birds too but I differ with that, why take that risk? I use to raise chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, quail, Emu's, doves, guineas and pheasants but they were all seperated by a good distance from eachother, the only ones that free ranged were my ducks and geese. They stayed on a 25 acre lake we had and never came close to the rest of the birds. I don't raise anything but pheasants and quail now days, so I really don't concern myself with that issue.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

OK...Not sure what to do about the chickens. I can't confine them to one area at this time...I'll do what I can to keep them apart.