Attracting Pheasants

[TehLizardKing]

My four year old sister loves the hell out of gamebirds, and says every day 'Stevie, can you go and catch me a pheasant?' to which our parents interrupt ' no, its illegal to take gamebirds not on your land, and we have too many pets anyway' so she has to deal with the 'pain' of watching them in next doors' field. I would love to bring them just a bit closer to her.

Our property is about two acres, with suitable cover (ei. trees, bushes, a field full of 3 foot high grass, and hedges galore) and enough food for HUNDREDS of pheasants. So why won't they come? the thing that puzzles me the most is on the other side of our wooden fence (with gaps big enough for pheasants to get through) is a pheasant breeder who rears pheasant and partridge for the shoot, and releases them by the hundred into the 6 acre field next to us. We have one cock who knows us and is brave enough to venture through the fence, but he usually disappears as soon as he is bored of the billions of invertebrates our land has to offer. Can anyone help with getting them to stay?

 

[Ntsees]

Pheasants are usually not birds that will become tame enough for you to get a close look at them. If you sister wants one, you can just purchase one from your neighbor and put it in a pen. That way, she can get a close look at it all she wants. Even if one does frequent your yard, your sister won't get a good look at it unless it's in a cage. As for getting them to stay in your area, providing lots of grain might help, especially during the winter when there's not much to eat.

 

[TehLizardKing]

Ok thank you... we'll have to convince our parents about getting one... could it live in the run with our quail and chickens? and if so should we get a cock or a hen?

 

[Ntsees]

If pheasants live with chickens, they might catch some of their diseases. Regarding cock or hen, it just depends what you want - a bird with color or a dull bird.