Uh oh! There was a feed store special!

[Kelsey2017]

Okay I now have four kinds of birds on my farm!

The local feed store had a special on pheasants and I thought since my brooder was empty I would try some. I don't know if it was such a 'special' but $1.95 for anything with feathers doesn't seem bad to me. I only got four, I just wanted to try them, maybe have them for the table or just let them loose, I don't know yet.

I asked the girl if they were ringnecks and she just said "Probably,"

very typical feed store employee response to almost any question you might ask.

Almost all of them looked the same chipmunky color but two were dark all over almost black. So I picked two lively stripy ones and took the two dark ones. Based on what I have seen here I am going to assume they are just a color mutation? When I picked them out I was hoping they were a different kind, but I doubt that now.

I got them a bag of gamebird starter and put them in a 3x5 foot brooder with a red lamp on one end that they can easily get to/away from, dipped their beaks in water and showed them the food. I am not sure if they can have any Merricks electrolyte in the water or how much different they are to raise from chickens. I planned on putting them out with my turkey poults (6, a month old) in the net-topped pen (20x48). How long do they need to be in the brooder?

Thanks everyone!

 

[pheasantfreak]

until they start getting feathers usually but i just depends on the weather when i put my out

 

[greymane]

This is why 1) I don't typically take my wife to the feed store (we would never get away without critters) and 2) I am glad our store does not typically have birds for sale.

Best of luck with your new additions.

 

[Tony K T]

Every thing sounds good except for putting them with your turkeys.Pheasants should be by themselves as they can pick up diseases very easily.Turkeys and chickens are the worst ones for carrying diseases,but they can handle diseases better then most birds.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[cielo]

What about keeping a pair of pheasants in a run next to a chicken run with 4 chickens or on ground that had 8 chickens on it for a season? Would that be unhealthy for the pheasants?

 

[Tony K T]

Did you read the post above?You shouldn't put pheasants with any birds except other pheasants and peafowl.They shouldn't even be in a pen next to any other birds except pheasants and peafowl.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[cielo]

I read that post, guess that question was a little confusing but you mostly answered it Tony, thanks. I know not to put the pheasants with chickens, the question was could they be penned next to a run containing 4 chickens. I got it figured out now.