Help With a New Addition

[Pyxis]

So I just acquired my first pheasant. I ended up with him because he was being crammed into a small rabbit cage with a hen by my friend, who was illegally keeping them in the town he lives. They were never let outside, spent all their time crammed in a cage so tiny they couldn't even move past each other, and never had a really steady supply of food. I finally talked my friend into giving the hen to me (the whole story is another thread so I won't go into it here) and when I saw him I couldn't just leave him in those conditions so I took him too. I did read that you aren't supposed to keep them with chickens but at this point the damage is done. So he's in quarantine with the hen and I need help. I don't even know what breed he is; I'll have to post a picture so you guys can help me with that. I will try to find a local person who owns pheasants to take him but I doubt I'll have any luck, so in the meantime:

• What do I feed him? Can he eat layer feed? I think that's what the friend was feeding him.
• Can he freerange? I already clipped him to keep him in the quarantine pen.
• What are some general things I should know about pheasants to help care for him?

Any advice is really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Marty1876]

1. Feed them gamebird feed, they need higher protein

2. Pheasents are nuts, they will jump, and trimming won't keep them from flyingsometimes. They MUST be in covered pens, even a net will work.

3. They are very skittish, so expect some neurotic tendencies from birds that are almost wild. What color is it? If they are ring necked, they maybe able to make it alone with some training, but it would be best to google pheasents in your area, you may find a breeder. Otherwise, call the county extension office to find out who has them, and what you can do. some are illegal, but these are almost certainly domestics of some sort. I had chinese ringneck.

 

[Pyxis]

I think he's a ringneck, but I'll post a picture tomorrow. I have no way to keep him in a covered pen, so I hope I can find a breeder in the area. I'm not hopefu, though. Even if I did, if pheasants are anything like chickens, finding a home for a male would be a challenge. I take it that means I won't be able to free range him? The hen is a chicken, by the way, not a female pheasant. I probably should have specified that