Ring Necked Pheasant!!!
I ordered 10 chickens from MPC and received 6 "packing peanuts." I emailed MPC and they told me they sent 3 of each of the 5 breeds I ordered instead of 2. However, I have 16 chicks. A MYSTERY CHICK!
Just browsing, I came across a photo of a Ringed Neck Pheasant at 1 week old and a 4 weeks old... and it is identical to what my chick looks like!!! At first I thought I just had another EE because of the chipmunk stipes, but something still didn't seem right. My chick's head is paler..almost yellowish not the Cinnamon color of my EE. My chick is more gangly (all legs), has a different "peep" and wasn't fuzzy like my others. Plus it is super fast! Today I saw it fly out of the brooder box and across my whole living room! In flight, it looks nothing like my chickens! I am now 90% sure!!
So what am I suppose to do with this Pheasant? I've done some lurking here and I know I shouldn't keep it with my chickens. If I set up it's own aviary, does it need company? What are key components to have in an aviary? How do I tell if it is male or female?? What the heck do I feed it? Should I separate if from the chickens now? It will be 4 weeks old on Monday... too little to be alone? It gets along with the chickens, but I think the poor thing always knew it was different. It often sleeps alone. I would like to try to keep it as my kiddos are very attached to "Bellatrix" Also, are there any laws about keeping gamebirds? I live in Maine. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated!
Thank You in advance!
I ordered 10 chickens from MPC and received 6 "packing peanuts." I emailed MPC and they told me they sent 3 of each of the 5 breeds I ordered instead of 2. However, I have 16 chicks. A MYSTERY CHICK!
Just browsing, I came across a photo of a Ringed Neck Pheasant at 1 week old and a 4 weeks old... and it is identical to what my chick looks like!!! At first I thought I just had another EE because of the chipmunk stipes, but something still didn't seem right. My chick's head is paler..almost yellowish not the Cinnamon color of my EE. My chick is more gangly (all legs), has a different "peep" and wasn't fuzzy like my others. Plus it is super fast! Today I saw it fly out of the brooder box and across my whole living room! In flight, it looks nothing like my chickens! I am now 90% sure!!
So what am I suppose to do with this Pheasant? I've done some lurking here and I know I shouldn't keep it with my chickens. If I set up it's own aviary, does it need company? What are key components to have in an aviary? How do I tell if it is male or female?? What the heck do I feed it? Should I separate if from the chickens now? It will be 4 weeks old on Monday... too little to be alone? It gets along with the chickens, but I think the poor thing always knew it was different. It often sleeps alone. I would like to try to keep it as my kiddos are very attached to "Bellatrix" Also, are there any laws about keeping gamebirds? I live in Maine. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated!
Thank You in advance!
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