Pheasant Advice?

[owly]

Hello, to make this short and sweet, we have been thinking of getting some pheasant chicks in the spring. We currently have 20 hens and 4 ducks, and we have been raising other poultry as well for a long time now. But we have never raised pheasants, nor are we familiar with them, so maybe can I ask for advice and such? Such as, is there anything special they need that chickens don't? I will be sure to post pictures and keep you updated in the coming months.
Thank you!

 

[mrwoodboat]

You will get some excellent advice here- I would encourage you to heed the experience these wonderful folks share as they have learned the hard way. I am in my 2nd yr with pheasants and feel I owe the folks here a huge thank you as they helped me avoid some of the pitfalls that can come with any animal husbandry.

The best advice I can offer is don't keep the pheasants with any other poultry and bigger is best as far as enclosures go- if you search posts, you will see my enclosures for my pheasants- they are 12' wide and 18' long with a 6' shelter to the rear. The only thing I would add if I were building them again, is an access door in the rear so I could gather eggs without having to walk through the flight pen.

Ringnecks are beautiful but you have to be diligent when the young come along- they go from getting along to not quickly...

Oh, and chicken math applies with pheasants also- we now have 4 different types and are adding two more next week...

 

[Tayten B]

What kind of pheasants are you planing on getting game bird pheasants or orimentals ( ring necks,black mutants)(red goldend lady amerast ect......)

 

[owly]

To be honest, we are actually not very sure. :/ My family has a good appetite for pheasant, so perhaps a few suggestions for those with fast growth/ good size.

 

[mrwoodboat]

If you are planning on table fare- I would go with Ringneck- perhaps Jumbos- build the biggest enclosure you can, an old greenhouse would be ideal with netting over it..

 

[Slist]

First off where are you at----USA---State
There might be someone by you that can help

If you go with pheasant, you can find a hatchery that will have all hens
They can sex chicks at day one, some sell hens for 85 cents each

The other thing would be Guineafowl, they taste like pheasant
some if no all will go free range, guinea chicks are 3==5 dollars

Steve
Lowell MI

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Check your state regulations as well. Here in NY you need a license to breed game birds, and there are regulations on the minimum amount of space required for each bird. Fortunately, it's cheap and easy to do. Pheasants need a lot of space, even when they are young, or they will tear each other apart. You will need a separate enclosure for each cock you have. They need a cover on their runs, and are excellent escape artists. Compared to chickens and ducks, they are definitely high maintenance. They are wonderful birds though, extremely hardy, and fun to raise. They are great predator alarms as well: they have a very distinct alert call, and can pick up trouble from some distance away, even at night. I look forward to seeing your progress with them!



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