Mean silver.... What to do

[peewee]

I bought a Silver pheasant awhile back and he was perfectly fine in his quarantine cage (3'x5'x5'). Yes, I know that this is small but I figured that having him go threw two weeks of quarantine (and deworming) was better than mixing him in with the others. To me better safe than sorry. The last 3-4 days while he was in quarantine he started to lunge at me when I went to feed and water. He got me really good on the arm but I chalked it up to being in a small pen going stir crazy. After his quarantine was over I put him in his pen that is @9'w x10'l x6'h. He is the only one in there at the moment and for the first couple of days he was fine. Now he is back to attacking me when I go in to feed and water. He even lunges at me when I walk past his pen to feed the others. I am getting kinda tired of coming out of his pen bleeding and with holes in my clothes. I caught that little bugger and filed down his spurs and cut/ filed down his toe nails. I even caught him a couple of times and carried him around like a football under my arm while I was doing my chores outside. This worked with a rooster that I had but truly does not seem to make much of a difference to him. Anybody have any ideas as to what I could try next? I don't want to get rid of him but I refuse to have something that nasty around.

 

[La Mike]

This may work may not
Try hand feeding him some hard boiled eggs
Just crumble them in your hand and offer to him and see what happens
Sometimes this will change their direction enough to figure out that you are friend not foe

 

[JJMR794]

If Mike's idea doesnt work start carrying a frying pan in with you--- next time he gets froggy ===batter up!


seriously tho what type of pen? Does he have any hides or places to go in there? landscaping? or is it bare?

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I had one that would attack any time you got in the pen I would just grab him and carry him around while I took care of feeding watering and collecting eggs.

 

[PeepsInc]

They can just be down rite nasty. Reeves are the worst. You have to remember they're not chickens. They don't have a personality of sorts. There just instinctual.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
That's what I was going to say, so far all my silvers have been nice, but I have never owned a reeves that wouldnt try you. It's just the nature of some of the pheasants. A large pen with lots of cover tends to help them feel more comfortable, but in the end, sounds like he's just a mean one. One like that can also be mean to hens, scalp or out right kill them, so if you plan to breed him, watch him with your girls at first. I did have one kill a fully gron merriams turkey before, 3 or 4 times his size during breeding season, so they can get nasty...Dont let him get you in the face, I had a reeves do that one, nearly got an eye and sunk a good one in the temple, he got the bad end of the stick after that sort of speak though, just watch him!

 

[Tony K T]

I find that the meaner birds are excellent breeders.They will produce more chicks then the tamer birds.I would get him at least 5 hens if you can,place the hens in a pen and add the male to the pen the next day.Hopefully he will be so busy breeding his girls that he will not even notice your around.
Until he gets his girls I would catch him every time he attacks you,he will see that the game is no longer any fun and leave you alone.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[J3172]

I would fight back let him know you mean business, and your on the right track, now that his nails, and spurs are trimmed clip his wings so he cant fly at you. That should help out a lot. Good Luck it sounds like you'll need it.

 

[JJMR794]

I have not had to do it with any of my pheasants but with my bob whites(who have a mean and flighty nature...) I pinion them-- its easy and permanent and boy does it change their demeanor and quick too. I know alot of pheasant folks wont like this suggestion, but here in florida if he got loose and they found out he was your bird..... lets just say the penalties for "release of non-native wildlife" is quite an ugly charge to deal with.... especially after last summer's great snake round up we had here. I just went through game farm licensure here in florida and even tho my state fish and wildlife investigator is a great resource and truely a nice human being he warned me about escapees. So it would protect you from him and quite probably tame his evil demeanor, as well as protect you from him escaping and causing you legal grief.

 

[peewee]

Thanks all for your help. His pen has ornamental grasses, palm trees and mini banana trees. He also has a 40 gallon black tree pot that is turned upside down with a "door" cut out of it for a hidey-hole. I had to take down the roost branches that I had on the door side of the pen to keep him from flying at me and getting out. I guess I need to try and clip his wings just to make sure he doesn't go after my face.
As to trying to hand feed him. Right now that just ain't going to happen. He absolutely looses his mind when I get near his pen.
I guess that for now it is going to be catching him every time he comes at me while I'm in the pen. Maybe I can try feeding him while I'm holding him? If this doesn't help it's going to JJ's idea of a frying pan.
Right at the moment I can't find him any girls. I put in an order with I guy that I know but it will probably be months before he has any. I'm hoping to tame him down some before then.