Incubating Pheasant eggs

[Mandadz]

Since being on quarantine, I have began expanding our egg incubating resume. I currently have 7 peafowl in the incubator and everything is going really well. We just got some pheasant eggs in the mail and I'm wondering does anyone have any tips for pheasant incubation? can you dry incubate pheasant like you can chickens? Are they humidity sensitive like peafowl are? Any tricks or tips to insure this goes well?

 

[MGG]

Since being on quarantine, I have began expanding our egg incubating resume. I currently have 7 peafowl in the incubator and everything is going really well. We just got some pheasant eggs in the mail and I'm wondering does anyone have any tips for pheasant incubation? can you dry incubate pheasant like you can chickens? Are they humidity sensitive like peafowl are? Any tricks or tips to insure this goes well?

@007Sean

 

[MGG]

@ShannonR ?

 

[ShannonR]

Sorry guys, I've only incubated pheasant once and it was my very first hatch! I did get a pretty decent hatch rate, though. Pheasant are upland fowl and dry incubation should be okay.... I think. I just did it in a styrofoam incubator with water in the trays like normal.

 

[007Sean]

I have the best results with my humidity at 43% during incubation, the last 3 days I up the humidity to 60%. I set my bators temp at 100°F, at the top of the eggs, their cabinet bators.

Shipping is extremely hard on pheasant eggs, much more so than other species of birds. Check the air cells (candle) to see if they are intact, many times they will be detached or partially detached.
Depending on your location and where the eggs were shipped from,(temperature wise) it's probably best to set the eggs as soon as they arrive, if coming from a hot region, just don't start turning them for a day or two, hopefully the air cells will stabilize by then and you can start turning them, using an auto turner. If turning by hand and not an auto turner, set the eggs pointy end down, not horizontally. You can use an egg carton to hold the eggs. At 'lockdown' you can remove them from the egg carton and lay them horizontally in the bator.

This is what has worked for me using both still air and forced air bators, only difference is the temp of the still air, they should be set at 102°F at the top of the eggs. Your experince may differ and probably will.
If they are Ring necked pheasant eggs (True pheasants) they will require incubating for 24 days, maybe 26 days if the temperature swings and isn't stable. If Golden pheasants or Lady Amherst, they require 21 days, again, if the temp swings it may take a day longer. My True pheasants usually pip on day 23 and hatch on day 24, Goldens and Amherst will pip on day 20 and hatch on day 21, sometimes day 22.
Good Luck with your hatch. HTH

 

[Mandadz]

I have the best results with my humidity at 43% during incubation, the last 3 days I up the humidity to 60%. I set my bators temp at 100°F, at the top of the eggs, their cabinet bators.

Shipping is extremely hard on pheasant eggs, much more so than other species of birds. Check the air cells (candle) to see if they are intact, many times they will be detached or partially detached.
Depending on your location and where the eggs were shipped from,(temperature wise) it's probably best to set the eggs as soon as they arrive, if coming from a hot region, just don't start turning them for a day or two, hopefully the air cells will stabilize by then and you can start turning them, using an auto turner. If turning by hand and not an auto turner, set the eggs pointy end down, not horizontally. You can use an egg carton to hold the eggs. At 'lockdown' you can remove them from the egg carton and lay them horizontally in the bator.

This is what has worked for me using both still air and forced air bators, only difference is the temp of the still air, they should be set at 102°F at the top of the eggs. Your experince may differ and probably will.
If they are Ring necked pheasant eggs (True pheasants) they will require incubating for 24 days, maybe 26 days if the temperature swings and isn't stable. If Golden pheasants or Lady Amherst, they require 21 days, again, if the temp swings it may take a day longer. My True pheasants usually pip on day 23 and hatch on day 24, Goldens and Amherst will pip on day 20 and hatch on day 21, sometimes day 22.
Good Luck with your hatch. HTH

Thank you for this detailed response! I appreciate it so much! I did check the air cells, they seem to be in pretty good condition. out of the 15 that came only 3 maybe 4 look detached, but they didn't come from very far so maybe that helped. They have been sitting since 9 am-ish yesterday so I will put them in about that time this morning. I'm glad you told me that Golden and Amherst hatch earlier. That's exactly what they are 1/2 are Golden and half are lady Amherst.