Requirements for raising pheasants

[ZoeysBirds]

Hi all. My husband and I are in heaven raising our chickens and ducks. We want to get pheasants this coming spring. I believe we have settled on ring necks but nothing set in stone yet. We're trying to learn more about the care they require. Coop, run, free range, space, mating, eggs, etc. Which breed is best for meat? Most of the pheasants will be for meat. Of course knowing me, some will become pets!

I've been doing some research but I've come to realize I have a love/hate relationship with Google. Haha. So if anyone could give us some advice. I believe In Jan we can place our spring order with the hatchery. We live in lower michigan. And we do not plan to keep them with our chickens and ducks. They'll be in a completely different area. Tho when the chickens free range, they'll have access to where the pheasant coop will be going.

 

[Tony K T]

Why are you planning on buying from a hatchery?There are many breeders in Mi that will sell you chicks,juveniles or even adult birds.I can look up some breeders in your area if you'd like me to.

Pheasants need to be fed a gamebird feed(I prefer unmedicated).Depending on how many you are planning on raising,you will need a good size pen ecspecially if your planning on ringnecks.They are very cannibalistic if not given a lot of space.They are your best bet for meat.They are also good for egg production.They need a roosting area,but not to close to the top of the pen.You don't want nothing to reach down and grab them.They should also have some type of cover such as a brush pile or branches scattered around so they can hide.Their pen needs to be covered either with wire or netting.I use metal roofing as it is much easier to walk thru in the snow.It keeps your pens dry year round.They are very cold hardy birds and can handle cold weather,but give them a place where they can get away from drafts.They very rarely use a building or shed.I use poly on the top 3' of their pen and leave the bottom 3' open in the winter.Their perch is at the bottom of the pitch in the roof 6' off the ground
I'm sure others will chime in and give you more info.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[ZoeysBirds]

I'd buy from breeders. If you can find some, let me know. I'm in livingston county mi. Thank you for all the info. These birds will be for meat and eggs. Why we chose ring necks. Can any breed of pheasants be housed together? I may decide to get a couple of the unique colorful ones for pets. That's not for sure at all, just a thought. We have lots of room to build their pen. So they don't need a "coop" just a fenced in pen? Does that mean they should be kept in an enclosure and no free ranging? We live in the woods and have lots of predators. The occasional fox will be seen during the day in the summer.

 

[ZoeysBirds]

That's a very large enclosure you have there. How many birds do you house in that? I'm not quite sure how many we're gonna get. We will be eating some and plan to sell
Others for meat. Either live or butchered already. So the number of birds will depend on how many customers we have.

 

[Tony K T]

That's a very large enclosure you have there. How many birds do you house in that? I'm not quite sure how many we're gonna get. We will be eating some and plan to sell
Others for meat. Either live or butchered already. So the number of birds will depend on how many customers we have.

I have since added 3 more pens to the left side of this pen giving me 15- 6x12 pens.I also have 5 (at the moment)8x16 pens,with 4 more in the process.So a total of 24 pens,plus inside of 7 pens there are 3x6 and 6x6 offground pens for the youngsters.I have about 80 birds right now and I have a lot of goldens for sale if anyone is looking for them.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[Tony K T]

I'd buy from breeders. If you can find some, let me know. I'm in livingston county mi. Thank you for all the info. These birds will be for meat and eggs. Why we chose ring necks. Can any breed of pheasants be housed together? I may decide to get a couple of the unique colorful ones for pets. That's not for sure at all, just a thought. We have lots of room to build their pen. So they don't need a "coop" just a fenced in pen? Does that mean they should be kept in an enclosure and no free ranging? We live in the woods and have lots of predators. The occasional fox will be seen during the day in the summer.

Mary Chevalier in Menominee,Carl Kemme in Allendale are the only ones listing ringnecks.If any are close let me know and I will pm you their contact #.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[ZoeysBirds]

Allendale isn't close but it's closer. If he meets or ships we could make plans.

 

[CostaMesaQuail]

How much square footage per bird is required and how tall should it be? Are they a neck break danger from flying?
Thanks!

 

[007Sean]

You need 24 to 25sq.ft/bird for ring necked pheasants. It's best to have the enclosure tall enough so you don't have to bend over when entering the pen. Mine are 6 to 7ft. high. I don't have any problems with them flying up and breaking their necks. You will want to have some slack in the top covering, so when they do fly into it, the wire gives and your not as likely to have injured birds.