breeding pheasants

[meendog10]

Hello,
I have been raising pheasants for a few years. Since last year i have tried breeding. Last year my hens were laying in January to Febuary. I must have had over 200 eggs but no broody hens! I ended up releasing them on our 100 acre farm. This year i have more in a 15x15x8 pen. I have hay and christmas trees in there. Just wanted to know what to expect this year... When they will lay, how long before they become broody, etc. The pheasants were hatched this spring. I also have a heat lamp over the water so i does not freeze. Is that a bad idea?
Thanks All

 

[hannah8]

im on the same boat! i know nothing! but i do no a heat lamp over a waterer is good as long as you know the risks of fires involved with using heatlamps

 

[fowlplay1950]

Any lights can through their biological clock off and cause them to lay this time of year. Also can cause them to stop laying in the spring or lay eggs that are not fertile in the spring. I have heard that the red colored bulbs are okay however I have not tested this theory on my own.

 

[dc3085]

If you find the birds are spending time around the heat lamp kill it. If they are using the heat to stay warm they won't grow down feathers sufficient to the ambient weather. If they aren't huddling around it, it might be fine. Flexwatt tape is probably a bit safer than a lamp fire hazard wise.

If you used the heat lamp last year that's most likely why your birds were laying in winter (unless you're in the southern hemisphere). As the previous poster said any lighting can throw off their metabolism. What light an animal perceives with their eyes, triggers metabolic responses, such as egg laying whenever they see more than 14 light hours per day for enough days consistently.

Leaving a light on 24 hours a day is a stress factor for the birds. It can actually drive them insane the same as a person placed under 24 hour lighting. If they can see the heat lamp during the night you should probably just switch to flexwatt or some other radiant heat source.