I guess all you need for pheasant is....

[Deleted]

A driveway

[hogkiller]

Did ya invite him in for lunch?

[fibros100]

to funny

[patricimo54]

They sure are beautiful birds.

[barkspud]

We have very few of those things here and wish we had more..

[TRAPnHUNT]

Did you shoot him for trespassing?

[trapper12953]

thats pretty cool.

[Canadian trapper]

He's walking a dangerous path.
The Canadian Trapper

[determinator]

I think all the pheasants around here moved over by you, CJ. Nowadays there's more turkey than pheasant. Nice pics! ;D

[kevin1959]

I released a bunch last year and had quite a few stick around all winter, I had a feeder set up with corn and enjoyed watching them every morning with coffee. One of the roosters would come every morning and aggravate the big rooster in one of the pens . Haven't seen them in a few weeks now. Just started to collect eggs ;D but today with the temp around 15 and 4" of new snow I think we'll be holding off on collecting any eggs for a few days.

[determinator]

I was thinking of raising some and releasing them, like you are doing, Kevin. There were so many around when I was a kid, now almost none. They were a big part of my youth, when I would track them down, and count how many I saw in my excursions in the local field. I was a pheasant nut, totally. If I could have sprouted wings and turned into one, I would have.

[nytrapper23]

I also raise and release birds here in western ny every year.the last two years I banded them so I could tell if they were making it thru the winter,and indeed they were.my question to you guys is do you think the ones that make it thru actually nest ? I know they breed obviously.but I was told by a biologist that the nesting phase has been bred out of the pen raised pheasants ,that they will just drop eggs and not nest.just wondering what your opinions are.

[determinator]

I don't see how the nesting instinct could be breed out of the bird, but that's just my opinion. I would think that would be just as instinctual as breeding.

[Jack's Butt Buddy]

Nice pics thanks for sharing

[kevin1959]

I don't know if the nesting instinct can be breed out of the birds but my hens will drop eggs everywhere in the pen. Last year we had one hen that would set on eggs. The birds seem to be pretty tough and will survive the weather I think it's more the predators that are making it difficult for there survival. I need to send my birds to survival school before I release them, if they would only roost in the trees at night instead of on the ground I better head out soon so I can pick the frozen eggs ( still about 15 outside) and hope to find them before they freeze today.

[nytrapper23]

I only hatch and release birds now,but when I was younger we always had breeders .we penned off a pair and put the eggs she dropped in a hollowed out spot under a bush she started laying there but would never set on them.we took them and put them under silkie chickens and she hatched and took care of them.

[determinator]

I wonder why a hen would lay eggs at this time of year, when it seems so cold. I would figure a couple more months before laying and setting on eggs. Do they live in a warm environment otherwise?

Do your males let out their territorial racket?

I'm thinking that it is too cold for your birds to get serious about sitting on a nest and raising a brood. I could be wrong. Just my ideas. Good luck with your birds. ;D

[nytrapper23]

I don't have any breeders now.I just get eggs from someone else and hatch them.when we tried to get them to set it was may or June.The guy I get them from has them laying now.I know the wild ones are not laying yet so I'm not sure why the penned ones are.I do have bobwhites and they starting laying last week?

[determinator]

Hey nytrapper, I'm not sure why all the eggs are popping up from your birds, but pretty sure that they don't intend to raise them up.
They might not be fertilized yet, from the roosters. No bugs, and other food to feed the chicks. You might try an incubator, to see what happens as far as hatching the eggs that they produce, but, I kind of think they won't. I might be wrong there, though. I also question what conditions the person you get your eggs from has their pheasants under. Indoors, maybe?

I think that for your own birds, the mating instinct would kick in as the weather gets warmer, and that they would most likely breed and nest sometime around May, or close to it. Keep us posted! ;D

[determinator]

Maybe my best suggestion for you is to ask the person that you get your eggs for his/her opinions, and ideas about their birds breeding, and yours laying eggs, suggestions, and so forth. I'm sure that they can give you some solid ideas and answers to your concerns. They must have been through an education of their own, to be able to be in the position to provide others with viable eggs, and get their birds to produce.

Please let us know how things go...and good luck!

[nytrapper23]

I have gotten eggs from him for 5 yrs.he has his birds in a indoor area but they can go out at anytime.last year he had some hatch on April 25 th ! So the eggs are fertile. I got my eggs from him on may 3rd. And 28 out of 35 hatched. I broke the unhatched ones open and all were fertile just didn't fully develope for some reason.I will talk to him this weekend ,but I bet he is getting ready to put some in the incubator now.I do have an incubator ,I was just wondering if anyone has actually had a penned ring neck set on their eggs.