Melanistics

[ket806]

*****PIC HEAVY!!!!*****

Hello!!!!!
I just received my very first pheasants yesterday!!! I love these melanistics they are just stunning and now I am proud to say I am a happy owner of 2 trios. Here are a few photos of mine

One of the hens Is in my icu pin as she stuck her head through the bars of the travel crate and cut the side of her head:/. She is up this morning calling, eating, and drinking. After her slice heals well she will return to the others.

~*FEEL FREE TO POST PICTURES , ADVICE, STORIES, DO'S & DON'TS, AND AS WELL AS QUESTIONS!*~

I am very happy to have joined the pheasant world and I am excited to meet other fellow pheasant people

 

[De Wet]

Congrats it looks to me a very good bloodline

 

[Tony K T]

Congradulations on your new kids.But the pen you have them in is not big enough for a pair never mind 2 trios.You will need to seperate your 2 males very soon as they are not starting their courtship,and the males will kill each other.A pen at least 8x8 would be good,but if you can go bigger,bigger is always better.As small as your pen is now,a predator can reach thru and grab a bird very easy.A pen tall enough to stand in is always good for higher perching areas and for you to walk thru.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[ket806]

Congrats it looks to me a very good bloodline

Thank you! I'm glad they look good

 

[ket806]

Congradulations on your new kids.But the pen you have them in is not big enough for a pair never mind 2 trios.You will need to seperate your 2 males very soon as they are not starting their courtship,and the males will kill each other.A pen at least 8x8 would be good,but if you can go bigger,bigger is always better.As small as your pen is now,a predator can reach thru and grab a bird very easy.A pen tall enough to stand in is always good for higher perching areas and for you to walk thru.
In N.H.,Tony.

Thank you I am very please with them! Oh that is a holding pen they had just arrived so they went into that pen so I could examine them and make sure I didnt see any signs of injury or sickness(this is how I notice how bad the hen was). Any bird shipped goes into one of the holding pen for at least 24 before moving to their new pen(if they will be house with other birds other then what they traveled with they could be in the hps for weeks). I have an old horse barn(it could hold 12 horses comfortably) that is netted all around and separated into 2 sections by tin for each trio with their own flight pen. I also have blinders for them.

So sorry had to edit because I submitted before I was done typing OOPS

 

[Rocket Up]

Congrats! You don't need blinders if your pen is large enough, especially for a trio. They only hurt the bird. Damage the nasal cavity, risk the bird hanging itself on the netting, look bad. Adults generally don't pick if they are housed right. good luck! might find a more pheasant friendly shipping crate... cardboard box even.

 

[ket806]

Congrats! You don't need blinders if your pen is large enough, especially for a trio.  They only hurt the bird.  Damage the nasal cavity, risk the bird hanging itself on the netting, look bad.  Adults generally don't pick if they are housed right. good luck! might find a more pheasant friendly shipping crate... cardboard box even.

Thank you! Oh ok I was wondering about them. They came with them is a seperate little bag with instructions, I was wondering why they didn't put them on during shipping. Ya usually that's what birds come to me in but these guys came in a wire crate I figured oh well maybe I can use the crate for something lol.

 

[ket806]

Ok question.....
My birds should be Laying for the first time this coming spring-summer should I eat the eggs this go round or try and hatch some out? He said he did give me older males then females.

 

[Tony K T]

Yes when moving birds even if it's from 1 mile down the road,a dark box keeps them calmer.Never use anything with a wire top as pheasants will burst and rip their heads all up.I use apple boxes that have a bottom and top that are the same size,but the top slides over the bottom,tape the 2 pieces together so if they do pop they can't knock the top off and fly away.I too am not a fan of blinders.If your pen is big enough there is no reason for them.Your birds need to feel comfortable in their surroundings like they are in the.
I am glad to see that you quarantine your new birds.Everyone should practice this.
Hey Scott,welcome to the Backyard Chickens.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Tony K T]

With 4 hens your gonna get lots of eggs.I had 2 pairs years ago and I got 106 eggs from the 2 hens.Yes,I keep track of everything.You will have more then enough eggs to hatch in a bator,to see if your hens will set on their own and to eat.Pheasants love hard boiled eggs,but you need to crush them up so they can't see that it is eggs they are eating.If you don't crush them and they see it is eggs,they may just start eating them as soon as they lay them.Now you have melanistics,what's next?
In N.H.,Tony.

Ok question.....
My birds should be Laying for the first time this coming spring-summer should I eat the eggs this go round or try and hatch some out? He said he did give me older males then females.