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Catchy Title! Eh? In the Spring we got a few Ring Neck Pheasants and as I read about ways to keep them it seemed they were too flighty to be kept in Chicken Tractors or ever be hand tamed.
Over the past few months we worked to get them comfortable in mobile tractors. It’s help provide them with a new pasture salad everyday and they’ve even learned to follow along when we move it.
I’ve also been slowly encouraging them to eat out a handheld feed dish. There are two or three who will come eat out of their dish when I’m holding it.
Today, I was able to pickup one of the Cock Pheasants! Not only picked him up, but carried him to the barn, and house, and showed him off a bit before returning him to their Tractor. It was pretty neat, because he even tucked his head up under my chin as he sat in my hands and basically cuddled in my arms.
It’s been so rainy, he was wet, cold, and hungry, so in a sense that helped! It really helped most because now He knows he can trust me! It should be interesting to see how he acts tomorrow and as the days go on.
If I were smart, and breeding more for meat, than temperament, I’d probably keep and over Winter the largest, fastest growing, male, However, breeding more for temperament and some occasional meat, I think my new little friend will be the one chosen to over Winter with us. He and his three Hens! One or two of the Hens already eat out of the feed dish while I’m holding it. Once it’s just the four of them, and the others see it’s ok to trust, it might become even more interesting when they have chicks and together we raise those chicks. Chicks who are born here, and handled from a young age are usually the most friendly. Especially if their parents trust You!
So, here we are, lowly peasants taming Pheasants!