Pheasant chicks dropping like flies!! Help!!

[deserthotwings]

I don't know why anyone would want to put shavings, hay, straw or any other material that young pheasant chicks might consume. That is only an invitation to trouble. Try using the plain blue shop towels sold in walmart. They are a lot more sanitary and your birds won't eat them and won't die. Everything a chick pheasant can get into its mouth is food to it and a lot of this stuff will become lodged in the throat or craw and kill them. Maybe some folks will disagree but I've raised hundreds of pheasant chicks for 14 years and never lost a healthy hatch one yet. Maybe not perfect but sure lucky.

 

[Tony K T]

I have always used pine shaving and have no problems with it.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[rrrmamma]

Had three hatch today. One seems weak but the other two are active. My question is the brooder temp. Should it be at 100 degrees F for the first week then drop slowly. At what age should I turn off the light. We do not have air conditioning so our house is usually at about 85. I have them in an old cooler with a hole cut in the lid and wire mesh. I can get the light to one side so there are different temp. zones. I have raised lots of chicks but never pheasant. Any help would be appreciated.
Deb

 

[Imperial Game]

I know this is an old post but I thought i'd offer my 2 cents I definitely think pine shavings was your problem.

1- They all died at roughly the same time, I think its because they just 'run out of energy' (from not being able to eat) and perished.
2- If it was coccidiosis you would more than likely have lost the lot.
3- You mention the birds doing a gasping action, sounds like things are caught in their throat.
4- I've used pine shavings before and this is exactly what happened to me. The only difference was it was with quail chicks instead of pheasant. I wouldn't dare risk using pine shavings with any of my pheasant chicks. Nonslip rubber matting is the way to go! I use it for the first week to prevent spraddle leg, then I use newspaper, changing it regularly.

 

[MrsTalon]

This is happening to me to. I had 3 so far when I woke up to 1 dead, then hatched a few more woke up to 1 dead I have lost 4 so far and i think I'm about to loose another one. Its driving me nuts, I dont use shavings there temp is perfect. It does seem like when one is weak the others peck at it but I'm stumped

 

[gregorys]

I had the same prob when I started hatching pheasants and used pine shavings. They were eating it and not food. After 2-4 days they were dying. Used hay, straw,or rags and it will be fine. Haven't lost one since.