I just bought a small farm (about 15 acres) it contains what the sellers call a pheasant coop. Its just a smallish shed (about 10' x 15') I like the idea of raising some type of bird. I'm considering chickens, ducks, or pheasants. i have found alot of information here about raising chickens and some about ducks, but none about raising pheasants. Does anyone know what difference there are about raising pheasants verses chickens? Can the pheasants be free range or will they fly away? Thanks for any information!

-C

-- C (cew74@yahoo.com), January 26, 2000

Answers

Hi, a few years ago a friend wanted to hatch some pheasent eggs,I put them under a Cochin Banty setting hen,all went well But when they hatched they were VERY wild. I had them in an old rabbit hutch and if you went near it they went crazy. The poor hen didn't know what to think. I finally put some very leafy branches in for them to hide in and that helped.Yes they will fly away, far away... Doris in Idaho

-- Doris Richards (dorisquilts@webtv.net), January 26, 2000.

WHY do you want to raise birds? If you're looking at meat or eggs, I suggest chickens are the obvious answer. There are many dual purpose breeds (I prefer White Rocks). If you just want eggs, there are many, many choices. For meat, I don't believe you can do better than Cornish x Rock crosses - they mature to eating size in 6 to 12 weeks, depending on the size you want. Some folks raise ducks, but they are more expensive initially, and I don't believe they are as productive for either meat or eggs. (Gotta hide now - duck lovers are coming!) Pheasants are great if you like to eat pheasants. Forget the eggs. And they absolutely will fly away. Some states also require special permits to raise them. Start with the chickens. Get as crazy as the rest of us later!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), January 27, 2000.

When I was in high school we had a pheasant. Beautiful bird, but pretty much just a live decoration. We used it in training our bird dogs, but they'll run/fly away whenever able. If you like to eat pheasant, I suggest hunting.

-- Chris Stogdill (cstogdill@rmci.net), February 02, 2000.