How to Breed Red Golden Pheasants

Love pheasants? Are you interested in raising and possibly breeding a few of your own? Red Golden Pheasants make really good pets, and they are hardy, easy to raise birds. The chicks require a bit of care however, and you should have a good idea of their requirements before you begin. Here are a few things you should know and do to keep your feathered friends happy and healthy.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 250 watt bulbs. One for every hundred chicks
• Brood house
• Chopped straw
• Pheasant chick starter food

1. Find a reputable dealer to buy your pheasants from. Like all animal breeders there will be good ones who care about the welfare of their animals and those who don't. You want to purchase healthy pheasant chicks.
2. Sterilize the brooder house before it is occupied and use only chopped straw to cover the floor. The chicks will eat wood shavings and die. Cover the straw with brooder paper to help the chicks maintain their footing.
3. Hang heat lamps around the pen. There should be one 250 watt bulb for every hundred chicks. If you are only interested in raising a few chicks obviously the facilities can be smaller, and you will need fewer lamps.
4. Encircle the pen with a draft shield to confine the chicks for their first week in the brooder. This can be made of cardboard or sturdy plastic and it should be about 14 inches high.Your pen is now ready for the pheasant chicks.
5. Place the chicks in the brood house and turn on the heat. Provide plenty of food and water but confine them in the brooder until they are two weeks old. When you let them out into the pen make sure it is covered and enclosed with one inch hole chicken wire to prevent any runaways.
6. Continue to use the heat lamps until the chicks are 3-4 weeks old unless the weather is really warm and then transfer them to a larger pen. Allot at least 25 or more square feet per bird to prevent over crowding.
7. Monitor the growing birds regularly for signs of overcrowding and keep them well fed and watered. The greatest reason for the failure of Red Golden Pheasants to thrive is crowded living conditions and insufficient food and water. If these needs are met the adult birds should thrive.

Tips & Warnings

• The brood house can be an enclosed area in another building such as a barn.
• Red Golden Pheasants cannot be overcrowded. This will result in cannibalistic behavior.