Utah!

[Cynthia12]

He is actually my step dad. When I was three my dad died in a car accident. It's not much of a hunt anymore I'm thinking of hatching a hole bunch and letting them go so that there is more around

I've actually thought about hatching them. Just haven't gotten around to it. Tell, sorry, I didn't know that about your father.

Lisa, you too? Not sure how that works, and I wonder, if we have to get permission to let them roam? I am thinking if they are native to this area. But, then there is the concern of illness coming from our flock? Maybe?

 

[themadchicken]

I was going to try this last spring, but pheasant chicks are way different then chickens. At 4 weeks they can FLY! Not just little burst but 8 foot fences are no problems. I had 2 chicks but had to sell them because they wouldn't stay in my yard. The poor little bantam hen that hatched them was all over the place trying to keep track of them.

Lisa, i finally added light to my quail pen today. My girlfriend says they have 1 week and then we eat them. I think its just the pregnancy talking, at least i hope so.

 

[Cynthia12]

Ready? Set the clocks back. )

 

[briansnarr]

Found out from my neighbors the other day that they don't mind if I have roosters so now I don't have to be so worried about getting in trouble.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Gary--
Hope they start laying! Have they laid at all yet? So funny, I have the flock on one side laying fine, the flock on the other side totally stopped. Hopefully Your GF will give them more than a week, mine took a couple to get going again after I put the timer/light on them. Maybe 10 days? seemed like that much time maybe?

Cynthia, yes, I have been wondering about the pheasant thing--we have them all over in our field, several were in my garden all summer. most mornings if I look out by my garden there are 2-3 out in the back of my yard. Very flighty, don't let me get near them...ringneck pheasants. I have seen several males and just a couple of females, but their crowing can be heard all over out here so I am not worried about the noise so much as predators, if they are semi-domesticated I do not want to spend a bunch of money buying eggs and hatching them and having them get killed....not sure how it would work out. The disease part I had not thought of..but with all the wild birds out here, I have not had sick chickens just the one last winter with the weird sneeze that went away, so not sure about that part....I keep mine in the run pretty much all the time now, free ranging with 63 chickens does not work, the flower beds get ruined and mulch gets kicked all over the grass, so they would not be too exposed to the pheasants if they were just let to be like wild pheasants, only with some food and water available for them in the very back, maybe a small open shelter they could go in (don't know if they would even do that?) I am thinking they would probably take their eggs elsewhere and lay them in the field.

Brian--that is great news about the rooster friendly neighborhood!

 

[briansnarr]

Does anyone have any fertile eggs they are letting go or selling for cheap? Its my first time hatching eggs so I dont want to spend a lot on eggs when I don't know what I'm doing. If anyone has fertile eggs for me to try out my hatching skills I would appreciate it. I don't mind if they are barnyard mixes.

 

[briansnarr]

Gary--
Hope they start laying! Have they laid at all yet? So funny, I have the flock on one side laying fine, the flock on the other side totally stopped. Hopefully Your GF will give them more than a week, mine took a couple to get going again after I put the timer/light on them. Maybe 10 days? seemed like that much time maybe?

Cynthia, yes, I have been wondering about the pheasant thing--we have them all over in our field, several were in my garden all summer. most mornings if I look out by my garden there are 2-3 out in the back of my yard. Very flighty, don't let me get near them...ringneck pheasants. I have seen several males and just a couple of females, but their crowing can be heard all over out here so I am not worried about the noise so much as predators, if they are semi-domesticated I do not want to spend a bunch of money buying eggs and hatching them and having them get killed....not sure how it would work out. The disease part I had not thought of..but with all the wild birds out here, I have not had sick chickens just the one last winter with the weird sneeze that went away, so not sure about that part....I keep mine in the run pretty much all the time now, free ranging with 63 chickens does not work, the flower beds get ruined and mulch gets kicked all over the grass, so they would not be too exposed to the pheasants if they were just let to be like wild pheasants, only with some food and water available for them in the very back, maybe a small open shelter they could go in (don't know if they would even do that?) I am thinking they would probably take their eggs elsewhere and lay them in the field.

Brian--that is great news about the rooster friendly neighborhood!

I know. Now I wish I would have taken that little rooster you were trying to get rid of a few weeks back. He was cute!

 

[Cynthia12]

Double posted for some reason?

 

[Cynthia12]

Thought i would share some pictures of the gang after tilling the garden area. They love looking for bug and worms when i till. I usually have a line of chickens behind me as I'm tilling. It reminds you of a farm plowing their field and the seagulls just behind the tractor.

Am I seeing two Rhode Island Reds in that last photo? That coloring is gorgeous!

 

[tellorton]

...

I've actually thought about hatching them.   Just haven't gotten around to it.  Tell, sorry, I didn't know that about your father. 

Lisa, you too?      Not sure how that works, and I wonder, if we have to get permission to let them roam?  I am thinking if they are native to this area.  But, then there is the concern of illness coming from  our flock?  Maybe?
[/quote I probably will in the spring