Keeping Pheasants Free Range

[roweyurboat]

I have heard repeatedly that pheasants can not be kept free range like chickens. I have also heard that they can be free ranged just like chickens if you use a domestic hen to hatch pheasant eggs. I feel that if I use this method I can get pheasants to be free ranged and have them come back to be closed up for the night just as I do chickens. Like I said, I have heard both sides argued with confidence. Would I be waisting my time if I give it a try?

 

[sourland]

Why not give it a try. In my experience pheasants revert to the wild if free ranged. Their instinct is to have a far larger home range than is the average chicken.

 

[dc3085]

We haven't damaged the pheasants instincts with over-breeding as much as we have chickens and some types of quail. I would guess they would split on you, but would be interested to hear what your results are. I would use ringnecks to try it though so as not to lose anything any prettier/harder to come by.

 

[lauranickerson]

My cousin found some wild Ring Necked Pheasant eggs on an abandoned nest around Mother's Day this year. I put them under my broody Silkie and they should be hatching any day now. I'm very curious to see this myself. I think it would be so cool if they stuck around with the chickens, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I have no knowledge of pheasants...just wanted to give this little experiment a try, since the eggs were doomed without me anyways. I will try to get back with my results.

 

[Hugeroost]

I"ve tried this many times, they will leave and leave n a hurry, don't matter how they hatch out. I have heard the goldens will stay around if theres food and grown ones penned up on site, I wll try this next...Roost

 

[Ntsees]

I suspect that the chicks will stay with your silkie if they regard it as their mother. But when they become independent, I doubt they'll stay - especially when breeding season rolls around. For those that believe pheasants can free range, I'd like to see pictures of their hen pheasants feeding their chicks when they toss seeds out for them in the morning as well as that same hen with her chicks roosting in a coop at night with the chickens.

 

[lauranickerson]

Well, I'm down to one pipped egg now. Silkie got kicked off the nest overnight and others laid their eggs in her box, and probably broke the other two eggs, which they probably ate. :/ Hopefully this one works out.

 

[roweyurboat]

I've read that you need to keep the mother and chick in a small area together for a couple of days when they hatch. If you don't the chick will just run away. This time together allows them to learn how to properly communicate with one another.

 

[Hugeroost]

I've read that you need to keep the mother and chick in a small area together for a couple of days when they hatch. If you don't the chick will just run away. This time together allows them to learn how to properly communicate with one another.

negative, the mother will never recognize the chick as her own, they are different than chickens

 

[pheasantfrenzie]

Actually I have hatched pheasants with silkies before and yes you do have to keep them in pens but the chicks will follow and imitate everything the silkie does including how to drink and eat and she does call to them and keeps a close eye on them and when she calls to lay down the chicks are right there ready to crawl underneath her or vise versa if she goes out into the field they will follow her. I have had many ringnecks stay around our farm that she and I (Incubator) have hatched all season and sometimes the ringnecks will hatch there own in the fields and bring their chicks up to out house for feed since they always know it is there. Granted there are many that have also flown away which is fine because obviously it is helping our population around here since they are bringing their own chicks around and yes many have been lost due to our foxes and wild cats but there are some that stay around.