Pheasants... Do's and Don'ts.

[MillersFarm]

Soo long story short I went out to buy some gray call ducks (For breeding purposes) and the man there was a very nice old farmer who had tons of birds. He had ducks, Peafowl, Chickens, Pheasants, and Turkeys. He showed me around his little set-up and show me a breeding pair of Red Golden Pheasants. I commented on how gorgeous they were and asked how much he sold them for... Said he normally sold adult pairs for around $250. I responded with 'Oh, Well I don't have the money or a proper enclosure for them but it's a nice thought!' So instead of loading my calls into the truck he showed me a pair of Red Golden pheasants that are just about under a year old and said 'Tell you what, If you have a pen built in time i'll give em' to you for free' My jaw hung open when I heard his offer and I immediately agreed. I thanked him again before loading my call ducks into the car and went back home were me and my father started working on the pen... Now my question is.. How am I going to take care of these guys? I almost have the pen ready just have to put a door on the actual coop part which is 6'x4' and lifted off the ground (Is that even big enough for two? I plan on adding two more hens later in the future ) The run is 16' x 6' and 8' tall. I plan on making roosts in the run for them to perch or jump on(Not for them to sleep on). It's also built off from my chicken coop to keep it out of the wind/snow.. That brings me to another question... How hardy are they? What type of bedding would they prefer in their coop? Shavings or straw? Also.. Should I make a nesting box for the hen or will it nest on the ground?
Another thought came to mind when I was feeding my turkeys, What type of feed should I use for them? None of the local feed stores sell what i'd normally give my turkeys any more (game bird chow)... Would flock feed work? Thats all the questions I have now but if you have anything else I need to know raising pheasants please let me know! Oh and breeding tips would be lovely as well Thanks for any replies! I'll try and get some pictures of the pen up Asap.

 

[Ravynscroft]

I would talk to @007Sean for pheasant info....

Good luck in your endeavor!
*PS, there's a couple Call threads you could post pics of your grey Calls in... j/s... *

 

[Michael P]

I bred golden pheasants for several years. They need LARGE planted runs and probably will not use a coop at all. Your run is large enough for one pair or maybe a trio, if you are lucky and do not get a more aggressive individual.

Both sexes can be very aggressive. In nature, a cock maintains a very large territory that overlaps the smaller territories of several hens. Essentially, the hens only approach the cock when they are ready to mate, then go their separate ways. They do not live in permanent flocks like chickens do. So the key to keeping the cocks from killing the hens (and the hens from killing each other) is to give them as much space and as much cover as possible. If you are lucky enough to have a hen that will set her own eggs, take the cock out of the pen.

Although they look very tropical and fragile, they are actually very cold hardy.

They do need the higher protein content of game bird pellets or crumbles. If you can't get game bird feed, try supplementing with some kind of animal protein: cat kibble or chopped hard-boiled eggs might work.

 

[MillersFarm]

I would talk to @007Sean for pheasant info....

Good luck in your endeavor!
*PS, there's a couple Call threads you could post pics of your grey Calls in... j/s... *

I'll give em' a message thanks! Also I do plan on finding a call thread to 'Show off' on once I actually get some good photos of them (They're so flighty!) Thanks for the suggestion

I bred golden pheasants for several years. They need LARGE planted runs and probably will not use a coop at all. Your run is large enough for one pair or maybe a trio, if you are lucky and do not get a more aggressive individual.

Both sexes can be very aggressive. In nature, a cock maintains a very large territory that overlaps the smaller territories of several hens. Essentially, the hens only approach the cock when they are ready to mate, then go their separate ways. They do not live in permanent flocks like chickens do. So the key to keeping the cocks from killing the hens (and the hens from killing each other) is to give them as much space and as much cover as possible. If you are lucky enough to have a hen that will set her own eggs, take the cock out of the pen.

Although they look very tropical and fragile, they are actually very cold hardy.

They do need the higher protein content of game bird pellets or crumbles. If you can't get game bird feed, try supplementing with some kind of animal protein: cat kibble or chopped hard-boiled eggs might work.

Thank you! I plan on making the run bigger in the summer but for now this will have to do. I thought about letting the hen set on eggs but perhaps just incubating them or even letting one of my chickens hatch some.. (Never really had the best experience with incubating) I have a little brooding pen in my barn thats about 8' x 8' I could put one of the pheasants in (Temporarily) If they start to get aggressive with each other until I make a separate run.. Thanks for replying! Had no idea they could be aggressive.. Thanks again!

 

[007Sean]

I'll give em' a message thanks! Also I do plan on finding a call thread to 'Show off' on once I actually get some good photos of them (They're so flighty!) Thanks for the suggestion


Thank you! I plan on making the run bigger in the summer but for now this will have to do. I thought about letting the hen set on eggs but perhaps just incubating them or even letting one of my chickens hatch some.. (Never really had the best experience with incubating) I have a little brooding pen in my barn thats about 8' x 8' I could put one of the pheasants in (Temporarily) If they start to get aggressive with each other until I make a separate run.. Thanks for replying! Had no idea they could be aggressive.. Thanks again!

They tend to get a little aggressive during breeding season. It's best to run several hens per cock bird. That way one hen doesn't get harassed too much. They need to be fed at least a 24% protien feed. If there full grown, you could feed a maintainer feed that's 20% protien but the egg production and vitality of the chicks hatched will be poor.
My enclosures are 6' wide, 6' high and 30' long. The enclosures have a sheltered area 8' high and 12' in depth. Their planted and have plenty of pheasant furniture,ie; logs, stumps, smooth rocks, fountain grasses, native grasses, shrubs and small trees. I don't use nest boxes as they tend to lay their eggs where ever they feel like it. Usually in a corner of the pen or in the sheltered area.
I've had a few hens set but for the most part, broodyness has been bred out of them. Mine never set for full term.
It's best to collect the eggs for incubation. Although a few people use broody chickens to incubate eggs....I don't recommend it, chickens can be carriers of disease's that they can tolerate but will kill a pheasant. Your pheasant pens should be a good distance away from your chicken pens.
And that brings up another point that I can't stress enough....BIOSECURITY!
Don't cross contaminate your pens, fecal matter and other viral materials can be transfered to seperate pens via shoes. Don't allow anyone who raises chickens, turkeys, quail, etc to enter your pens.
With all that having been said, pheasants are very beautiful and rewarding birds to raise. Wish you the Best of Luck with yours.

 

[MillersFarm]

They tend to get a little aggressive during breeding season. It's best to run several hens per cock bird. That way one hen doesn't get harassed too much. They need to be fed at least a 24% protien feed. If there full grown, you could feed a maintainer feed that's 20% protien but the egg production and vitality of the chicks hatched will be poor.
My enclosures are 6' wide, 6' high and 30' long. The enclosures have a sheltered area 8' high and 12' in depth. Their planted and have plenty of pheasant furniture,ie; logs, stumps, smooth rocks, fountain grasses, native grasses, shrubs and small trees. I don't use nest boxes as they tend to lay their eggs where ever they feel like it. Usually in a corner of the pen or in the sheltered area.
I've had a few hens set but for the most part, broodyness has been bred out of them. Mine never set for full term.
It's best to collect the eggs for incubation. Although a few people use broody chickens to incubate eggs....I don't recommend it, chickens can be carriers of disease's that they can tolerate but will kill a pheasant. Your pheasant pens should be a good distance away from your chicken pens.
And that brings up another point that I can't stress enough....BIOSECURITY!
Don't cross contaminate your pens, fecal matter and other viral materials can be transfered to seperate pens via shoes. Don't allow anyone who raises chickens, turkeys, quail, etc to enter your pens.
With all that having been said, pheasants are very beautiful and rewarding birds to raise. Wish you the Best of Luck with yours.

Thank you for the information. The pen is built off from our chicken coop but none of our chickens or other poultry can get in.. All of my poultry are free ranged (Except for the the pheasants of course) and never had I experienced any problems with diseases but I will be careful with that when it comes to my pheasants.. I do know someone who raises red golden pheasants and plan on offering some eggs or chicks from the pair i'm getting to trade for some of his to avoid inbreeding and such so I will be getting more hens and like I said in the previous post I do plan on upgrading the pen in size and might even build another one farther away from my other birds.. Thanks again for replying!