Pheasant chat and hatch-a-long!!!

[007Sean]

Riddle me this…..how can a 3ish day old pheasant chick disappear without a trace from a brooder with 2 quail chicks still perfectly confined and healthy???

Check the feeder....might have crawled inside? Look under the shavings?

 

[muddy75]

Check the feeder....might have crawled inside? Look under the shavings?

I checked under the shavings and feeder didn’t look disturbed at all as they have been mostly eating what I put on paper towels. He could’ve possibly gotten through top bars but didn’t seem rambunctious enough to get that high. I’m wondering if a snake or something could’ve managed to grab it and get out through top bars?? I had one last year get in but couldn’t get out after swallowing.

 

[Chookwagn]

I checked under the shavings and feeder didn’t look disturbed at all as they have been mostly eating what I put on paper towels. He could’ve possibly gotten through top bars but didn’t seem rambunctious enough to get that high. I’m wondering if a snake or something could’ve managed to grab it and get out through top bars?? I had one last year get in but couldn’t get out after swallowing.

Does said brooder have a lid/cover?

 

[muddy75]

Does said brooder have a lid/cover?

Yes….it’s a rabbit/Guinea pig starter cage sides are wrapped in 1/2 in netting but top bars weren’t wrapped because of heat lamps etc

 

[Chookwagn]

Yes….it’s a rabbit/Guinea pig starter cage sides are wrapped in 1/2 in netting but top bars weren’t wrapped because of heat lamps etc

 

[ColtHandorf]

Riddle me this…..how can a 3ish day old pheasant chick disappear without a trace from a brooder with 2 quail chicks still perfectly confined and healthy???

I'd assume something snatched/chewed him.

 

[muddy75]

I'd assume something snatched/chewed him.

I think it’s a sneaky snake because a quail chick went missing a couple days later. I lost my other pheasant chick this morning to more natural cause…..it managed to get stuck outside the heat plate and temps dropped to low 60’s overnight. I’m down to a single quail chick until next hatch begins

 

[muddy75]

My lone quail chick showed me the weak spot in the brooder netting i patched a couple areas with tape and string. I need to do some rework and move it to the aviary where my wynola ranch cage sits. My next batch of pheasant eggs go into lockdown Sunday

 

[muddy75]

I removed turner today when I set my quail eggs. So will see how many hatch here next week! Then I’ll decide if I’m going to collect and set more before the end of season.

 

[muddy75]

I’m thinking of removing my extra males this fall instead of waiting for spring and risking the fighting