All game birds and all types of quail and pheasants are very vulnerable to disease. Remaining good biosecurity is key for keeping a prosperous flock. This includes putting new birds in quarentine for about a month, keeping species separated, and sanatizing equipment. One of the most common questions on this forum is "Can I Keep Pheasants With my Chickens?" The answer is no because there is a disease called coryza that can ruin your flock. Coryza is a highly contageous disease that chickens are carriers of. Chickens do not show symptoms but they can spread it to your game birds. Common symptoms of this disease include swelling of the eyes, nasal area, and various parts of the face. Even though some people get by with keeping their game birds with chickens and other domestic poultry that doesn't mean you will. I lost a ton of week old quail to an Old English Game Bantam. Even if your chickens are not sick that doesn't mean they aren't carriers of coryza. After you visit any poultry show you need to disinfect you and your clothes. This can be as simple as washing and hand sanitizer. If you keep both species you should take care of the game birds first, use hand sanitizer, and then take care of the chickens. Do not interchange feeders and waterers between them because this can spread coryza. It can also be spread by you, sneezing, droppings, and feed. If you have a bird with coryza and it recovers the bird is now a carrier of the disease and can wipe out the rest of your flock if reintroduced. It's offspring will also have the disease, and will show symptoms. What works for one person may not work for you, and they will most likely find out that it won't work. The birds need to be a good distance apart or have a solid barrier between them. Here are some pictures of what it can do...
**I got these pictures from the following thread...**
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=250361
**I got these pictures from the following thread...**
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=250361
