As cautious as I am,once in awhile I do mess up.Last eve around midnight I went out and did chores.I had some quail that I finally put in their pen outside,and between pens there is a wire door,so two pens can be made into 1 large one.Lady Amherst quad on one side,,and the quails was put in the other. I had opened the Lady Amherst main door,to try and get the wire door closed between pens,,and in doing so,forgot to shut and latch the main cage door for the Amhersts.
Tonight when my daughter got home from school,she seen one hen in the back yard,one hen was still in the pen,,but the male and one hen have not been seen. As hot as it is,,tomorrow they will need a drink.I always feed them about 1/2 hour before dark.We have a 2 acre homestead,,with a lot of dogwood bushes that are so thick you cannot walk under them around part of our yard border.We have some places of tall grass,and several runs for the 150 marans we have.
I was able to catch one hen rather easily,,the entire bunch was hand fed as chicks and were always very calm when I fed and watered them each day. I could touch all of them but the male.They had a roost in their pen and in the evening always could be found sitting in a tight row.So tonight I went looking,all around the chicken runs,bushes,and tall grass areas,,and of course no luck.It's a good thing the corn is not tall,or I would never find them.
So,any ideas on how to lure them back? I have had all of them since January,,,and they have always been in the same pen.I have other ornamental pheasants in pens around close to where the Amhersts was,Red Goldens and Yellow Goldens and those males are quite loud about late afternoon,and at times it sounded like a contest was going on between all 3 diffrent varieties,,even tho none could directly see the others.
Since the two that are loose are experiencing freedom for the first time,,and with the spring season here now,there is plenty of bugs and other things for these two to eat,,but no direct access to any water unless they fly into a pen where some of the marans are with outside waterers.Whats the chances of them coming back around their old pen and wating in for a drink? Ideas? Thoughts? thanks
Tonight when my daughter got home from school,she seen one hen in the back yard,one hen was still in the pen,,but the male and one hen have not been seen. As hot as it is,,tomorrow they will need a drink.I always feed them about 1/2 hour before dark.We have a 2 acre homestead,,with a lot of dogwood bushes that are so thick you cannot walk under them around part of our yard border.We have some places of tall grass,and several runs for the 150 marans we have.
I was able to catch one hen rather easily,,the entire bunch was hand fed as chicks and were always very calm when I fed and watered them each day. I could touch all of them but the male.They had a roost in their pen and in the evening always could be found sitting in a tight row.So tonight I went looking,all around the chicken runs,bushes,and tall grass areas,,and of course no luck.It's a good thing the corn is not tall,or I would never find them.
So,any ideas on how to lure them back? I have had all of them since January,,,and they have always been in the same pen.I have other ornamental pheasants in pens around close to where the Amhersts was,Red Goldens and Yellow Goldens and those males are quite loud about late afternoon,and at times it sounded like a contest was going on between all 3 diffrent varieties,,even tho none could directly see the others.
Since the two that are loose are experiencing freedom for the first time,,and with the spring season here now,there is plenty of bugs and other things for these two to eat,,but no direct access to any water unless they fly into a pen where some of the marans are with outside waterers.Whats the chances of them coming back around their old pen and wating in for a drink? Ideas? Thoughts? thanks
