Breeding Pheasants
For success in breeding pheasants it is important to start with good birds. It is very unlikely that you will be able to breed good offspring from bad parents. It can be very difficult with some species to find unrelated birds as they have been inbred for a number of years. Another problem which is often found with pheasants is hybridisation. Although the hybrids can look good and be perfectly healthy as they have often been mistaken as pure bred birds the gene pool of true species has shrunk dramatically. We are only using birds in excellent condition, pure bred and as unrelated as possible to give our chicks the best chance we can genetically.
The next stage is to create an environment the birds will be comfortable in. Although it might not be as "clean" as concrete or plastic we decided to go for a more natural approach. We give the birds lots of plants, posts, boulders and wooden shelters and perches to make them feel more at home. The birds have plenty to occupy themselves with and seem relaxed in their aviaries. We give the birds lots of sand for dust bathing and any birds that are likely to use nest boxes have these included in the aviary.
Always of great importance is diet. Our birds get a good variety of fruit, vegetation, grain, peanuts and live food as well as their pheasant pellets. We occasionally offer other treats such as scrambled egg. This is usually fed to our peacock pheasants especially, during late January and February. We can not get the pheasant breeder pellets at this time as the game pheasants (which the food is produced for) start to breed later than our Peacock pheasants. We include milk and finely ground egg shell in the scrambled egg to give the birds the nutrients needed to produce their own eggs. Our birds are fed the breeder pellets as soon as it becomes available. They will be fed this throughout the Spring and Summer. If possible the birds should be on the breeder pellets at least six weeks before they start laying.
The final consideration is how to keep the birds as stress free as possible. All of the things mentioned above certainly help but often problems occur among the birds. They are extremely territorial and this can lead to disaster. Giving the birds plenty of places to hide is vital. We always try to keep a few empty pens. This might seem a bit wasteful and it is not always easy but it has often proven to be a life saver. If we find an injured bird we can separate it from the offender to give it a chance to recover and possibly swap partners around to improve the situation once he/she (usually she) is well again. As the breeding season approaches the cock can become very aggressive and can attack the hen unmercifully. To minimise this we often keep the same species opposite each other. This way the cocks distract each other and they have no need to take their aggression out on their mate. The hen is far safer and becomes far more confident, the males are seen much more and will often put on a wonderful display and everyone is happier, the birds and us.
Back to
|
Allandoo Pheasantry
|