What winter shelters do your pheasants prefer?

[AOrchard]

Hello! New to keeping pheasants this year. I have one pair right now, mutant Melanistics born in March. They have a 25' x 50' run, which contains some bushes tall, small logs, an old hot box missing the top (basically an 8 inch high wood rectangle with gravel inside, also seen them called hot beds or cold frames), and access to an old chicken coop.

I've never seen any sign of them going near the old coop. The hen was sleeping next to a log, until this week when she moved to the hot box and now sleeps there on the gravel. I'm guessing less wind in there now it's getting cold? But gravel? I added some downed branches recently to the run as well along the fence. Got me curious where your pheasants choose to sleep during the winter! What's your experience?

I harbor no illusions that they might choose to sleep in what looks to me like the worst places regardless of what I do, but I also like to provide preferred shelter options that make them feel safe and comfortable. How much do they like to see out? Will they burrow down into a pile of hay or shavings like my quail do?

Thanks and best! Here's some pics of him

 

[muddy75]

my hen would go into the coop during the breeding season to lay her eggs and the males would go in occasionally but last winter they would roost on the ladder if we left it out there even during the worst weather this year we added a small shed with heat for budgies and finches and one of the pheasants always roosts in the windowsill and my female has claimed the roof as her roost if the windowsill is occupied......if they don’t have a roost, they tend to sleep on the ground with the quail.

 

[muddy75]

heres a couple pics so it makes more sense the male is on the windowsill and the female roosts top left corner roof

 

[AOrchard]

@muddy75 Thanks! (and cool setup!) Fascinating, there is a wood A-frame ladder style vegetable trellis in the run that could easily be a roost (was used as one by chickens in the past) but they don't use that at all.

 

[007Sean]

My True pheasants all roost on the ground at the opposite end of the enclosure away from the sheltered end, exposed to the elements...eventhough, they have roosts and perches.
All my ornamentals roost on the perches under the sheltered end or up in the rafters....go figure!