peepers on ringeck pheasants

[Tony K T]

Blinders definitely have there place, some have a plastic pin others use a metal ring. some are plastic others are rubber. I found that the rubber with the metal ring (hog ring) would work the best. They have a tendency to fly up into the top netting and get caught , the rubber ones eliminated that problem.
they also have a bit that prevents them from being able to close there beaks all the way, I would not recommend these if you are feeding a pellet.
It will not affect if you release into the wild, just be sure to remove it prior.
Birds four to five weeks old is the best time they become accustomed to them very quickly. pheasants go Thur a time of abnormal aggression the six week and the 12 week, once the cannibalism starts you are only fooling your self if you think you are going to stop it. reasons for blinders I feel is if birds are over crowded, to hot in the brooder, not enough vegetation in the fly pens (green vegetation does wonders) problem is it is often gone very quickly in your pen, good game bird feed really helps from start until it cools of in the fall. usally if you can get them out of the brooder with out the problem you will be OK. Debarking is a good way to solve the problem . but to do this right you need a debeeker that has heat, simply nipping the point of the beak of will not solve the problem, it will grow back quickly and often sharper. using a debeker takes some talent and precautions you only cut the top beak, dint cut or burn the tongue, a good 1/8 inch will work but the heat stops the bleeding. the downfall to debeaking is the beak grows back longer and ill shaped which means you have to keep following up with it about every six weeks.
The whole secret to this is don't let them get into the habit of peeking each other.
I hatched 60,000 chukars and pheasants and grew out 18,000 to 22,000 of them for sixteen years. I have tried it all they have there pro's and con's. it wasn't until my later years of trial and error that I was able to get over the cannibalism and pecking it all starts in the brooder, if you would like some ideas on brooding let me know. [email protected] Thanks and good luck. JRC. Utah

In a hatchery setting,yes I agree,but in a private collection,there is no need of it.If they are pecking each other they do not have enough space and should be placed in proper surrounding and no tampered to suit your needs.They need to feel as natural as possible for good productivity and health.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[wildlifeartist1]

Like I said never in(15x25)3 to 4 bird breeder pens just the(32x35) 20 bird bachelor pens and just the ones that need it.
Keep your birds safe use them it can help!

 

[peacock 05]

Should I use them on peafowl if they are aggressive to hens.iknow this is the pheasant section but if they work on pheasants they should works on peas right????????

 

[ranit]

Just my own opinion but another thing I feel contributes to cannibalism is lack of animal protein in the diet. A lot of feed companies have changed much of their feed over to plant protein. In nature birds eat a lot of insects and such which is animal protein. You can check the ingredients on the bag to see which your feed has. Most good gamebird feed will have the animal protein but most chicken feed anymore does not.

 

[peacock 05]

Yeah just tonight I got a peacock that has been picked on by others.they are vicious!!he is missing his neck,crest,and some back feathers. Feel so bad!

 

[JacobMaxwell]

I know this is a pheasant thread, but I have a story about my hens for those of you who do not believe in peepers. This past winter I had a horrible pecking problem. It got to the point where a hen was bleeding. I tried absolutely everything, separation of the offender, interesting toys and foods etc. NOTHING was working until I got some peepers. I put them on the main villains and, just like magic, all pecking stopped. I now have a peaceful and healthy flock. That is why I don't think peepers are horrible devices.

 

[birdgirl11]

I just wanted to say a few days ago my female pheasant was almost scalped completely by my horny male. I brought her to the vet and it cost me 200 bucks to put her back together. So I just ordered a peeper which they gave to me free as a sample. One free peeper or 200 dollar vet bill, you decide.

 

[De Wet]

I can t understand this I does not say to use peeper or I can consider my self lucky cause I never Have I pheasant which peck each other and I do keep aggressive species according books and web site s and the best part is that I only use one female for one male. So I m blessed not to use these items

 

[destinduck]

I just wanted to say a few days ago my female pheasant was almost scalped completely by my horny male. I brought her to the vet and it cost me 200 bucks to put her back together. So I just ordered a peeper which they gave to me free as a sample. One free peeper or 200 dollar vet bill, you decide.

Or just as easily give her hiding places. Which hens should always have anyway BTW let alone when the breeding season is full on. I think birds look like crap with em on is my main thing. But if you dont mind explaining to everyone that comes to see your birds whats that thing on his face and that you have evil males so it is nessecary its all good on what ever you decide to do

 

[jimboace]

From the English Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust study about the effectiveness of environmental enrichment as opposed to using bits/blinders on pheasants:

" Environmental enrichment techniques have been tried in both gamebird and poultry rearing with limited success. Even in extensive (free range) poultry systems, feather pecking and cannibalism are major causes of mortality and are important welfare issues."

Bits/blinders may be eyesores, but I don't think they are inhumane in any way. My pheasants are healthy, active and eat well. If the choice is between feather picking and cannibalism, which I have extensive experience with, or bits in their mouths, the choice is clear for me.