Pheasants in my Garden (help!)

the_syco

Hi all,
Recently my mom found a pheasant in our garden. We copped there was one coming here, as we found an egg in the middle of the grass (we also saw it coming in to the garden for the past week). I know that during the early season, this happens alot, but now it has a nest and 10 eggs (we counted this morning when the pheasant was away). We found out that the pheasants take about 3 weeks to hatch them, once she has finished laying the eggs.

Questions:
Does she sit there for the whole 3 weeks, or does she leave and come back during those 3 weeks for food (is the 3 weeks started already)?

Does she need alot of room to take-off or land?

I ask the final question, as we have a west highland terrier. She's let out, runs to the bottom of the garden, and when she comes up to the house, just past the glass-house, she starts to sniff around. We call her into the house, as we think she smells the pheasant. Putting up a mesh around the flowerbed that the pheasant is in may stop our dog Holly from getting in, but may also prevent the pheasant from taking-off or landing.

If anyone has any comments or advice, I'd be helpful.

=-=

If you're wondering why the pheasant has picked our garden, I think its cos its near its old spot. There used to be a field behind our house, which was used for storing hay bales, left unused, etc, by the farmer. In the last few months, tho, the field has been cleared, and there has apartments been built. In the last month, we've seen the male pheasant, and its 4 b|tchs flying around and they've proberly built nests in our neighbours gardens.

googs

your lucky, we got 10 hen pheasants and 2 / 3 cock pheasants that we feed out the back during the winter, in early april they disappear !... must nest in the fields around us.. i think putting wire around will disrupt her nest too much.. i'd just keep an eye on the dog although some dogs will leave them alone, i'd be much watchful of cats or magpies... they do not need that much of a space to fly.... they usually hide first and then fly away when something is 3 foot away from them... i'd throw out a handful of pin head porridge every so often so that she won't be going too far from the nest...and leaving it exposed..

AdrianR

Does she sit there for the whole 3 weeks, or does she leave and come back during those 3 weeks for food (is the 3 weeks started already)?

I would have thought that she would have to spend quite a bit of time on the eggs, I don't know phesents pair like other birds and help out but from what you've said it doesn't look that way.

Does she need alot of room to take-off or land?

Pheasants rarely fly, they tend to stick to the ground unless they are startled. I'm no expert but you could maybe try and figure out where the pheasent is getting into your garden, if there is only one access point then you could fence off the nest while still allowing access.

the_syco

DSCF0453_edit.JPG Shows the eggs. The rest show's her on her morning hop over to the birdseed (some of it falls down when the other birds eat it).

the_syco

So, another update. The chickes have hatched. Only 4 out of 10 ain't good, but ain't too bad either. For the first few days we (the pheasant and my family) co-existed, but in the last few days, the pheasant will take a run directly at us, chriping, spitting, and fluffing the wings, if we go out the back garden.

So, for me to get to the shed in my dressing gown, had to bring Holly (my dog) to guard me, as I went to the shed to dry my work clothes. Yeah. The pheasant ran circles around me the first time (doesn't want to get close to Holly, as Holly has gone for it before), but on the way back, it stayed hidden.

20 minutes after I'd gone back in, the pheasant and her chicks walked around the garden. Attached are the pics. I've put out a bowl of water out in the garden, as I doubt the chicks are gettting any water, and its damn hot outside.

el tel

So how is it going with the pheasants?

You are really lucky to have them and it's wonderful that you are
doing your best to look after/coexist with them.