What Kinda Of Pheasant Is This?!

[KateBeauchemin]

I got some hatching eggs at an auction and they are hatching but they are not all alike! I was told that they are most likely ringneck, guess I didn't pay much attention, since nothing was labeled.

Every other one has been chipmunked color, the others are black with white ring and white tipped wings.
As the black one dried is more brindle color...

I'm at a loss. My family has other pheasants but they are not recognizing these either!!

any help would greatly be appreciated!

 

[J3172]

The dark one is a melanistic ringneck.

 

[KateBeauchemin]

what does that mean exactly? I know that there are many different types, does this mean that were more than one breed in the pen? What makes these?

(thanks so much for the information)

 

[chickenzoo]

The dark one seems to have a lot of brown in him, so I'm assuming they came from a pen with both Melalistic Ringnecks and Standard Ringnecks. Cute.

 

[J3172]

Melanistic is a dark coloration, kind of like albinos but dark. As you probably know ringneck pheasants come in many different colors. Well there are three different types of melanistic or "black" ringnecks that I know, green, black, and regular. The green and black look very similar to me and have greenish, dark blue feathering all over they body, were as the "regular" will have a purple chest, neck and upper back, sometimes with a ring around the neck sometimes not, and the back half of the bird is very similar to a normal ringneck. If you breed a melanistic with a normal ringneck all the chicks will be and look melanistic. The hens wont be as dark as some of the pure melanistic but you get the point. So if he had one melanistic bird in the pen even breeding with a normal colored ringneck it will produce a melanistic bird which explains why he is not as dark, his dad was most likely a normal ringneck and his mom was a melanistic hen. Hope that helped.

 

[tysonb24]

I have chicks that look like yours. They definitely look like melanistic ringnecks. Here is a picture of my melanistic ringneck rooster.

 

[spectrumranch]

Looks like a normal domestic ringneck and a domestic green ringneck to me.

If it is a male it should look like (or close to it) the photo that tyson posted.

Green ringnecks are usually dark brown when they hatch, some have white, some don't; which they will loose the white as they mature.

Black Ringnecks (melanistic) are BLACK when they hatch with a white yellowish bib.
Here is a Black Ringneck: