Wild Reeves Pheasants in the US?

[Resolution]

There are feral Swinhoe's on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in MA as well as Lineated and Amherst's on Martha's Vineyard.

 

[deerman]

the best chicken to use would be game hens.


myself i think they are the best setters, and mothers. I have used them for pheasants. After free range them, they will act more like pheasant than any other chicken.

Plus if you find somebody that raise gamecocks. They will sell their surplus game hens.Make sure they know you want them as broody hens.

Ringneck pheasant hens , would also be a good foster mother. I have even sold 100 ringneck hen at dayold for 75.00. Not that i'm trying to push the ringnecks, but may still be able to help find you some for this price this March..

 

[Lophura]

There are feral Swinhoe's on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in MA as well as Lineated and Amherst's on Martha's Vineyard.

Where else has this been published? Aside from the odd-colored, mixed-up American Ringneck, I've never seen any of these mentioned on birding list-serves or forums. I'd say a lone escaped bird or two, but no way a feral breeding population!! It would have set the groups on fire.

http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?33631

Dan

 

[rittert3]

For chickens/pheasant if you want a local population around your farmstead the mixed up hatchery Red Jungle Fowl are a good choice. They still have good survival instincts and the chickens they're crossed with are mostly BBR game hens. I met a guy a few years back that has between 40 and 60 free ranging in the woods and clearings around his farm house.

 

[AllenWMiller]

I'd offer a word of caution to this string. Before you decide to establish a foreign non native species into your area it would be best to check with your Department of Fish Game and Wildlife. Many states would frown on and even fine the heck out of you for this. Reeves are a terrific pheasant but they are native to China not North America. Often we have non natives being introduced to our native species with dire consequences. So move forward with caution.

 

[Resolution]

delete

 

[rittert3]

This is why I suggested the hatchery type RJF the go feral to a point but won't go totally feral or spread very far. I'd say they'd stick to a 10 acre base, but they do reproduce quite well with very few accomodations (Maybe some tall grass or brush planted for them if it isn't there already).

 

[Resolution]

Where else has this been published? Aside from the odd-colored, mixed-up American Ringneck, I've never seen any of these mentioned on birding list-serves or forums. I'd say a lone escaped bird or two, but no way a feral breeding population!! It would have set the groups on fire.

http://www.mvgazette.com/article.php?33631

Dan

Though I used to really hate it here as a kid- I mean really hated it here on the vineyard, I love it here now. It's a fine place to raise children. Lots of kids in my family have grown up here for quite some time now. I can guarantee you we know more about what is or isn't here than tourists. Private property is also not accessible without express permission. The majority of people that live here only do so seasonally and the locals- well locals are pretty private and incredibly hard-working. I'd say that most folks that see strange pheasants don't even know that there are different species of pheasants. Descriptions in the article could just as well be an Edwards's as Versicolor. People just don't have much of an idea of what they're looking at.
The more pressing issue on island is ticks. This is what people are talking about at the post office and at the lobster shack and the carpenters and the landscapers and property managers- every year there are just more and more ticks. Just about everyone you know on island either has lymes disease or knows someone that does.

There is a huge introduced population of wild turkeys about, also introduced by sports hunters. It's too bad there are no predators of the adults other than people and that people are only shooting the toms which are not actually the ones laying eggs... It's also regretable that they do not inhabit the high brush where the ticks proliferate nor are they interested in wasting energy on tiny little parasites buried in the leaf litter. A grasshopper will get a turkey's attention but really they are just eating bittersweet berries and pooping them out to replant themselves elsewhere and eating acorns.

We don't have much of a tick problem on our adjoining properties- our family's because we've always kept fowl. Peafowl, rapanui chickens, which are tiny little things that spend their whole days scratching around in the bush, used to have guineas but the owls just take them out one after the other. And - we don't harass or shoot at any errant pheasants that we encounter...Ever.

 

[Lophura]

Yeah, still a skeptic. If you want to fund a trip, I'd be happy to trek through that thick stuff to find them

, been through worse here in MO just to find Ruffed Grouse. Had a buddy go up there with guide who lives there, I know he would have mentioned it to me. When an Ovenbird spotted there made huge news in October, I would assume an exotic pheasant from Taiwan would make some type of headlines.

I'll just have to agree to disagree and to believe to disbelieve.

Dan

 

[Resolution]

Yeah, still a skeptic. If you want to fund a trip, I'd be happy to trek through that thick stuff to find them

, been through worse here in MO just to find Ruffed Grouse. Had a buddy go up there with guide who lives there, I know he would have mentioned it to me. When an Ovenbird spotted there made huge news in October, I would assume an exotic pheasant from Taiwan would make some type of headlines.

I'll just have to agree to disagree and to believe to disbelieve.

Dan

I can guarantee your buddy has never set foot on our corner of the island, unless he's Gus. You're always welcome to come visit.
And we're not talking big foot here. There are about fifteen to twenty swinhoe's on the southern eastern most tip of the island. This all private land and has been for a very long time. They've been here ever since they were turned out twenty some years ago. You've never been to the vineyard. Bird twits look up into the crowns of trees not through miles of impenetrable scrubland.