Letting broody hens raise pheasant chicks

[Wheatlogger]

I’m getting tired of fighting my broody hens all the time, so I’ve come up with a unique idea that I would like some input on. What if I let my hens hatch out and brood pheasant chicks? I live in the middle of a wheat field with no one around for miles, so my girls are 100% free range. As in, no pen, no fences, and for half the year they don’t even eat their feed. What I’m hoping is that my broody hens will hatch pheasant eggs and raise the chicks until they are capable of surviving on their own at which time I would love for them go wild and augment the population of wild pheasants on my farm Ideally they would overwinter and breed the next spring. Am I crazy? Will it work? What about quail or partridges?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I was told by an experienced pheasant keeper that you can have hens hatch the eggs, but you better pull the chicks. Pheasant chicks will take off and disappear, and won't stick with the chicken hen.

 

[Chicalina]

I have had hens hatch and raise baby ducklings. No idea on pheasants but its possible.

What do hen pheasants do when the chicks run off?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have no idea, it's just what I was told. Pheasant chicks are extremely reactive, and can fly, or run long distances when frightened, which happen often. They aren't as domesticated as chickens. It would be near impossible to keep track of them in a free range situation. I'm sure the mom pheasant has a call she uses to round them up. In wild birds there are always a lot of loses in a batch. They hatch 15 with the hopes at least one will make it.

 

[Chicalina]

I think the hen will take care of them as best she can and they will respond to her calls. Let us know how it goes if you do do it!

 

[Gotbirdsohyeah]

Bantams are excellent for hatching pheasants,but like stated above the chicks will disappear.Bantams are great mother's but pheasants are gamebirds and love to roam.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Quailobsessed]

Welcome to BYC!

Some people have done it, but chickens are quite a bit bigger than pheasants, so they usually do it with bantams.

 

[Lukers]

Keep them penned until they are done being brooded and fed by mom, and then you could cut 'em loose, and with hen raised pheasants, there is a much higher survival rate than with pen raise and incubator hatched pheasants. The Brits do it often using game hens because of how active and fast game hens are, and they do well with raising the flighty little things and they turn them loose once they are old enough, and they, as I've read, do quite well when compared to pheasants raised without a mamma. just do your research on feed, feeders, waters, and pens for them until you turn them out. Game birds are a bit different than chickens

 

[Stravager]

I’m getting tired of fighting my broody hens all the time, so I’ve come up with a unique idea that I would like some input on. What if I let my hens hatch out and brood pheasant chicks? I live in the middle of a wheat field with no one around for miles, so my girls are 100% free range. As in, no pen, no fences, and for half the year they don’t even eat their feed. What I’m hoping is that my broody hens will hatch pheasant eggs and raise the chicks until they are capable of surviving on their own at which time I would love for them go wild and augment the population of wild pheasants on my farm Ideally they would overwinter and breed the next spring. Am I crazy? Will it work? What about quail or partridges?

You should probably take a look at your local game and wildlife regulations before you attempt to specifically augment wild populations. If you pick the wrong breed of pheasant, you could end up with resource competition between the species, and depending on your area's bylaws it might actually be illegal to release them.

 

[007Sean]

You should probably take a look at your local game and wildlife regulations before you attempt to specifically augment wild populations. If you pick the wrong breed of pheasant, you could end up with resource competition between the species, and depending on your area's bylaws it might actually be illegal to release them.

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