The pheasant is the weight of an adult bird. Common pheasant. Blue eared pheasants

Some of the most valuable and beautiful birds in nature are pheasants, whose habitat is vast. Wild pheasants live throughout Eurasia and acclimatize in other regions of the world. They are bred in hunting farms and are specially settled in hunting grounds. Pheasant meat is tender, healthy and incredibly tasty. Hunting for pheasants is considered noble, and at the same time very reckless.

Pheasant distribution area

The homeland of amazingly beautiful collared pheasants is the mountain forests of the subtropics of western China and eastern Tibet. Oddly enough, the habitat of these species is still poorly understood. But due to population growth and a decrease in wild lands in China, pheasants are found less and less. They are listed in the International Red Book.

The area of distribution of the common, Colchis or Caucasian pheasant originally extended along the coasts of Asia Minor and the Caspian Sea. But this species has been migrated to Europe since time immemorial. It is reliably known that Europeans have hunted it for 4000 years. First, pheasants were brought from Colchis to Ancient Greece, and further through southern Europe. The ancient Romans highly appreciated the most tender pheasant meat. They moved this bird to the conquered southern France and Germany. Our pheasant is more often found in the Transcaucasia, in the North Caucasus, along the western coast of the Caspian Sea to the mouth of the Volga.

Natural habitat

Pheasants choose their habitats carefully. They avoid tall, vast forests. Pheasants prefer individual groves, dense bushes, thickets, among which there are big trees with a spreading crown. Pheasants are especially eager to settle in those places where bushes and groves are surrounded by meadows and fields, water is required. Some pheasant species live in mountainous areas, while others settle in lowlands. Pheasants have chosen reed and reed thickets along the banks of rivers, lakes and seas. In particular, along the lower reaches of the Kuban, Terek, Sulak, in the coastal thickets of the Caspian Sea. Clean coniferous forest avoid all pheasants, environment and habitat in big forest for these birds are fatal. Firstly, there is little usual food, and secondly, there are many predators.

The "labor" day of pheasants is full. They wander all daylight in search of food and water, make their way from one bush to another, climb into thorny thickets, visit the edges of the forest, make forays into the fields. Pheasants are looking for seeds and young shoots, they are very fond of berries. They pick up a lot of insects, which benefits the fields and forests. And only from the onset of the evening they look for a suitable tree for an overnight stay or a fairly dense bush. In general, pheasants are sedentary birds. They rarely leave their chosen place. True, after hatching of chicks, pheasants can make pumping. During this period, they can be seen in places unexpected for pheasants.

Birds do not make real flights due to anatomical features. They rise on the wing only when absolutely necessary and fly close. But pheasants walk well. And in running speed they are leaders among chickens. In good spirits, pheasants walk slowly, tilting or sucking in their necks and lifting their chic tail. Pheasants, when running fast, bend their head to the ground, and lift their tail up. In extreme cases, they help with flapping of wings when running. In the branches of trees, pheasants either stand upright, or, bending their legs, lie down on a branch, hanging a long tail.

Pheasant habits

External senses in pheasants are well developed. But when breeding, pheasants never become tame. They do not distinguish their master from other people. In any person, pheasants see only an enemy that must be feared and avoided.

Pheasants live amicably among themselves. Of course, during the mating period, serious fights occur between males. But when courting a female, the male is nobility itself. He performs importantly and skillfully demonstrates his beauty. Females are always modest. The rooster usually leads several chickens. However, sometimes there are mixed companies of many chickens and several roosters.

Pheasants always hide before mating. They sit on trees just before going to bed. During daylight hours, they prefer to scour the bushes and tall grass in search of food. Open spaces are avoided. Birds are especially mobile in the evening and early morning. When the sun goes down, they go to rest. Pheasants in wildlife more often monogamous. During the breeding season, the rooster adheres to the chosen female and participates in the upbringing of the chicks. But pheasants who live in a semi-wild state on pheasant farms are polygamous. The strongest roosters gather from 5 to 10 females around them. In jealousy, the male pheasant is not inferior to other chicken birds, bravely entering into battle with all opponents.

Males leech during the mating period. True, pheasants are far from the exalted ecstasy of grouse birds. During courtship, the pheasant nurses around the female, assumes various positions, spreading its wings and raising its tail. At the same time, it dances, shouts, flaps its wings. Immediately after mating, the male stops paying attention to the females. In general, females look for males more persistently. Having fulfilled their "conjugal duty", the males wander around the lands, by inertia enter into fights, but do not particularly try to win.

The fertilized female finds a secluded corner among the underbrush or meadow grass. It scratches out a shallow hole in the ground, rakes in a little soft bedding and lays 8-12 eggs. Pheasants have smaller and rounder eggs than domestic chickens. They are monochromatic, gray-yellowish-green.

In nature, the diet of pheasants is very diverse and depends on the habitat. The basis of the diet is plant foods. These are seeds, berries, vegetables, roots, herbs, buds. For dessert, they prefer insects and shellfish. They hunt frogs, lizards, small snakes, mice.

For pheasants, the habitat is constantly expanding. They are successfully acclimatized in places with a harsh climate: Finland, Scandinavia, the Leningrad region, in the north of the United States and in Canada. It turns out that they live well and breed in mountainous conditions. So the pheasants are not threatened with extinction, with the exception of some rare species.

The pheasant bird is a typical representative of the order of chickens... It is a widespread and frequent hunting object. Included in the group of domesticated birds. Pheasant meat has dietary qualities and contains formic acid. It is extremely tasty and highly appreciated in the world market.

Description of the pheasant

The pheasant is characterized by sexual dimorphism, therefore, males are not only much larger than females, but also brighter, more beautiful in appearance and color of plumage. Females are usually dull brown in color, rather camouflage, sandy gray, with brown and black streaks (spots) on the body. Males - with shiny feathers, depending on the variety: with a metallic, deep green or yellow-red tint. Their color can vary - for example, in the northern subspecies, the neck and head are green-golden with a black-purple sheen at the bottom, and orange-golden feathers on the back with a dark border gradually turn into reddish-copper tail plumage, giving in purple. The eye ring is red. The pheasant's tail is long, wedge-shaped. There are spurs on the legs. The body weight of the pheasant bird is from 1.7 to 2 kilograms, the length is about 85 centimeters.

Pheasant habitat

Since the pheasant has an incredible variety of subspecies, its habitat covers a vast territory. It is found in the Primorsky Territory, in the Volga delta, in almost all regions of the Caucasus (Ciscaucasia, North Caucasus, Transcaucasia), in the Aral-Caspian lowland and on the southeastern coast of the Caspian. In general, it is represented in all countries the former USSR... Abroad, the pheasant is most often found in Turkey, in a number of European countries, in North America, Japan, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan and other regions of Asia - from Front to Central. In Europe (usually in South and West), it is most domesticated.

Where does the pheasant live

The pheasant lives in river reed valleys, forests with undergrowth and shrubbery... It predominantly keeps close to water bodies, in grassy and shrub thickets along the shores of lakes and in river valleys. Pheasant can also be found in dense forest thickets, which are teeming with thorny, climbing bushes and interspersed with small open plots. It is not uncommon on the sides of the fields. He needs grass and shrubs in order to hide: a frightened pheasant rarely rises into the air, flying over tree branches - most often he hides on the ground. In bad weather, pheasants are also rescued by bushes, where they are buried from bad weather.

Pheasant habits

The pheasant rarely flies, although the lush tail allows it to do so... During the day, he grazes in dense thickets of grass or in bushes, and spends the night in the trees. In winter, pheasants most often keep in flocks, which disintegrate in March, and then the whole bird goes to nesting grounds. The place is chosen by the male, not the female. It holds on to it and flows. At the moment of the current, the pheasant sings loudly, making characteristic sounds - his current cries are always three- or two-syllable.

On the current, the male continuously moves within its area along a precisely defined route, the duration of which is about 400-500 meters. The pheasant bird stops only for half-hour breaks for feeding. First, the roosters spawn on their own, then females come up to them in groups (3-4 birds) and choose a mate for themselves. All this time, the pheasant vigilantly guards its own territory, preventing any intrusion of an alien male.

Pheasant fights are very fierce - like domestic roosters... Opponents fight to the bitter end, and the winner of the fight pursues the loser for a long time. The pheasant returns to its original place only after it is convinced that its "enemy" does not intend to come back. The current lasts for about four months.

Pheasant species

The pheasant (Phasianus) is a nominative genus of the Phasianidae family and the Phasianinae subfamily of the chickens order. Its genus consists of two types:

Phasianus versicolor (green pheasant);
Phasianus colchicus (common pheasant).

The green pheasant species includes up to 5 subspecies(or geographical forms), the second - up to 32, so in the end it turns out that there are unusually many varieties of pheasant - depending on geographic areas and habitat.

What do pheasants eat?

The diet of pheasants is extremely diverse and consists of both plant foods and animals. For example, in Tajikistan alone, the pheasant poultry feed menu includes about 80 species of insects and many varieties of invertebrates.

The pheasant's animal feed ration includes mollusks, worms, spiders, woodlice, ants, beetles, cicadas, filly, snails, small mice, snakes, lizards, etc.

The plant food ration of the pheasant includes various berries, fruits, seeds, crumbling grains of cereals, green shoots of most species of wild plants, etc.

Young pheasants at first feed exclusively on insects - they switch to plant foods a little later. In extremely harsh and snowy winters, the pheasant needs feeding, because otherwise it simply starves and dies. Its plentiful food ration serves as a serious support for agriculture, as the pheasant bird also eats weed seeds, as well as pests.

Nesting and young pheasants

The pheasant is a fairly prolific bird. In the wild, he is monogamous (forms a pair with one female), in a semi-domesticated state, he is polygamous (gives birth to a whole flock of females). Pheasant nests on the ground. The female begins laying in early spring, stretching egg-laying to April-May. There are usually up to 20 eggs in the nest (more often - 7-18). They are not uniform in size and shape, have an olive-brown tint with a greenish tint, slightly shiny. Without picture. The size of one egg is approximately 42x33 mm to 46x37 mm.

The female pheasant sits very securely on the nest, leaving it exclusively for feeding. The brooding period lasts on average up to 23 days. During this time, she loses about 40 percent of her body weight. The male pheasant stays near the nest during this entire period.

Chicks hatch well developed and covered with down. Having dried up, they immediately begin to peck food on their own and run. By the 3rd day, hemp of future flight feathers grow in them and they are already able to fly up to 30 cm in height. At the age of 30 days, the pheasant weighs 130 grams, and it can take off up to 3 meters, covering a 30-meter distance. At the age of 50 days, the young pheasant not only confidently stands on the wing, but also catches up with the adults in complexion.

At first, the brood of pheasants is located near the nest. A little later, it begins to move further and further away from it, but still without leaving the area of the nesting site. The young keep as a separate brood for quite a long time, gradually gathering in large flocks: by the end of summer, such a flock can number up to 50 chicks. Closer to autumn, the male joins the brood of pheasants, and so all this time only the female leads the chicks.

Common pheasant - the main character of this article. This bird was first found in the Caucasus, which is why the common pheasant is also called the Caucasian. It is unclear exactly how the bird began to inhabit other countries, how and who brought it there, but now it can be found in almost any part of the earth.

The bird was domesticated and began to engage in the selection of other breeds by crossing them with different representatives of the pheasant family.

Name of the bird, species of the genus

In the order of chickens, the pheasant is the largest bird. It got its name in honor of the ancient river Phasis in Georgia. The bird was found exactly on the banks of the river, which is why it was named that way.

There is another version of the origin of the name - in honor of the city in which the bird was discovered.

In the sixth century, near the Phasis River, the Carians founded a colony of the same name Phasis, which was a trade center.

As you know, the Pheasant genus is divided into two:

common pheasant;
green pheasant.

Ornithologists claim that these are two different birds, but some scientists disagree and call the green pheasant a subspecies of the common.

Green much less than usual body size, they do not live in the CIS countries, but the ordinary one is found very often.

In some regions, only one subspecies can live, while in others several. In total, the common pheasant has thirty subspecies, that is, these are pheasant breeds. Many of them used to belong to separate species. Later it was found that all these subspecies are the common pheasant, which differs only in the color of the plumage. Moreover, the difference in color is most pronounced in males. Individuals that have distinctive features exterior in the form of long chest or ear feathers, belong to a different genus, but the Pheasant family.

One of the artificially bred subspecies of the common pheasant is a breed called "hunting". He was bred by crossing two breeds of this genus: Transcaucasian and Chinese.

Description and its characteristics

The body structure of a pheasant is very similar to that of a chicken, the only difference is in a long tail. V depending on the subspecies, males can have different shades in their plumage:

yellow,
green,
lilac,
gold.

There are no feathers around the eyes and the skin in this place is red.

As usual with many birds, females are inconspicuous in their color. They are mostly speckled and have sandy feathers.

The body of the male is on average up to 90 centimeters long with the tail. The tail is usually about 18 centimeters. The female, as usual, is smaller. The length of her body with a tail is no more than 60 centimeters, while the tail is about half the length. The bird can weigh up to a maximum of two kilograms.

Lifestyle, reproduction and offspring, nutrition

The bird runs pretty quickly and actively on the ground, but flying is difficult. In general, they rarely fly. Feathered, as a rule, live in the grass not far from the reservoir, but often they settle in the fields.

The male is able to fight to the death for his territory. He always guards her very selflessly. During the day, the birds hide in the shade of thickets, and eat in the evening and early in the morning.

Until the onset of spring, birds live in flocks, in which all individuals are same-sex. One flock of males can number more than a hundred individuals, while females gather in flocks of smaller numbers.

In the spring, males leave the flock and look for a female, while singing loudly in a hoarse voice. This cry helps the male to attract the attention of the opposite sex, as well as make it clear to other males that the female is busy.

The nest is usually built in the same thickets. Only females hatch eggs. This process lasts about a month, while the male does not participate in the process in any way. By the end of spring, ten to twenty chicks appear in the nest.

Pheasants eat both animal food and plant food. Getting their own food, birds digs the ground and takes out roots, seeds, as well as insects and worms. Throughout the fall, the bird accumulates body weight, and in winter it rapidly loses it due to the fact that the bird it takes a lot of energy in order to get yourself food. Many birds simply do not live to see the end of winter.

The feathered one has a lot of enemies in the wild:

foxes;
wild dogs;
hawks and other predatory birds,
magpies, crows, etc.

Breeding at home

Breeding these birds is not a very popular activity among Russian farmers, but their meat is of much higher quality than chicken meat. On top of that, they are wonderful layers.

At home, common pheasants are bred in specially equipped cages or large enclosures. The main condition for their content is the mandatory presence of any bushes and other thickets in the habitat of the bird. A secluded place is vital for both an adult and a young individual.

You can start breeding by purchasing eggs or ready-made chickens. There is an option to buy a pair of heterosexual pheasants and wait for the offspring.

Nutrition is very important, as a balanced diet will help the bird develop normally and not get sick.

The favorite treat of the bird is the Colorado potato beetle and its larvae. Therefore, keeping such a bird on the site will help the farmer get rid of the garden enemy without using poisons.

The pheasants are very susceptible to stressful conditions, therefore, you need to protect the bird from irritating factors to the maximum, otherwise it will stop laying eggs and get sick.

Hunting for common pheasant is not allowed everywhere. In the spring, shooting them is strictly prohibited. As a rule, this bird is hunted with a dog, most often the spaniel breed is used for such a hunt. He catches the bird's trail and drives the bird out of the thickets, and the hunter shoots at the pheasant that has taken off. Meanwhile, a hunting dog finds a killed victim and carries it to its owner. In fact, the dog may be of a different breed, but a hunting spaniel is preferable for such a hunt, after all.

According to the rules, you can hunt only in the morning and in the evening, in general, at the time when the bird leaves its secluded place and goes in search of food.

In many countries, pheasant hunting is an extremely popular male activity. The hunters are motivated by a banal sports interest, and besides, this bird has amazingly tasty meat.

In ancient times, baked pheasant was a delicacy on the royal table.

In conclusion, it should be said that farmers who have opted for the common pheasant do not regret it. The birds are unpretentious in care, not expensive in terms of feed, it gives amazing meat and a lot of eggs. Breeding pheasants is not difficult, but it requires equip special enclosures and create conditions close to natural. Then the bird will live in peace and develop to the joy of the owner.

" Birds

Today, pheasants can be found more and more often in the farmsteads of farmers. From just a beautiful bird, they turn into a profitable business.

That is why in this article we will talk in detail about breeding and keeping pheasants at home and on personal plot, we will learn what to feed, how to care for and what to do with them next.

Pheasants have a peculiar and memorable appearance... Males are easy to recognize by their bright plumage and long tail... Females are gray with brown and black specks all over the body. Depending on the habitat, the color of the males is different. The head and neck are green or blue-violet.

There are no feathers on the rings around the eyes, the rings themselves are red. The color of the trunk varies from orange on the back to bright red on the chest. Feathers with a metallic sheen. The length of males reaches 80 cm, females are smaller.

Conditions for breeding in industrial and household plots

Poultry is bred in industrial and household farms. Industrial farms are guided by the accelerated growth and increase in the poultry population. The cultivation is carried out with the aim of making a profit and returning all the costs of implementing the business.

With the industrial method, the main condition is a large area for conducting Agriculture... In a farm, the number of pheasants can be up to 10 thousand individuals.

Private farms provide for the breeding of poultry on a smaller scale, for their own needs and partly for sale.

It is better for a beginner farmer to grow pheasants at home from scratch with several families and gradually increase the number. The eggs can be incubated by a female pheasant, you can place them under the hen or use an incubator. It is better to start with a silver breed. she is best suited to temperate climate... Unpretentiousness in the feed and rapid weight gain contribute to a quick payback. Additional profit is possible from the sale of eggs and feathers.

To gain experience, it is necessary to go through the entire cycle from reproduction to the sale of the finished product.

Breeding pheasants at home in a corral

How to start growing a home pheasant

A bird is placed in cages if the main goal is to earn money from the sale of meat by rapidly increasing the mass. During the breeding season, the stocking density will be 1-3 individuals per 1m². At the same time, protein will be used in large quantities in the diet. Up to 2 months of age, turkey and broiler feed containing 24-28% protein can be used.

To increase the number of pheasants, they are placed in a spacious open-air cage with a walk. The best soil for construction is sand. The aviary is built at the rate of 2 m² per individual in the sleeping area and 10 m² in the walking area. The walls are made of metal mesh. Cover with a nylon mesh on top. A net made of such material will not be able to injure birds taking off. To protect the birds from the sun and rain, part of the aviary is built with a canopy.

To approximate natural living conditions, a dry tree and bushes are placed inside the enclosure for use by birds as a roost. Baths are installed with a mixture of ash and sand for bathing.

Depending on the breed chosen, pairs or families of birds are created. There is one male for every 2-3 females in the family.

With an increase in the number of females in a family to 4-7, egg production falls, and the number of fertilized eggs decreases.

From February to August, the keeping of pheasants on a personal plot is possible in separate enclosures, then they are transferred to a common one.

Pheasants are susceptible to stress. Loud sound or sudden movement can scare them. Birds remember the person feeding them, his voice, clothes. If there are any drastic changes, then it can lead to stress. The result will be a decrease in egg production.

Birds are not afraid of frost, they can all year round contain in the same premises.

Frost-resistant pheasant species

Pheasant characteristics

An adult pheasant weighs between 1 and 2 kg. Females are smaller than males. The silver pheasant weighs 1.2 kg upon reaching 7 months.
The male is brought to the female in February or March. During the breeding period from March to July, the female pheasant lays about 50 eggs.

Duration of laying is from 2.5 to 3 months. The mass of one egg is about 30 grams. The females build nests throughout the enclosure. Sometimes they forget about the location. From time to time you need to collect eggs for laying in the incubator or put them under the hen.

Pay attention to the eggs being laid. Each breed of pheasant has different places for laying eggs: grass, shrub, tree. You can help the birds with nesting. To do this, a small hole is pulled out and covered with dry grass or moss. For nests in trees, willow baskets are suitable.

During the breeding period, two males must not be allowed into the same enclosure. By their nature, males are very aggressive and can fight until one of them dies.

The diet of a pheasant is similar to that of a chicken. Pheasants prefer green food and wet mash. The pheasant eats 100 grams of feed per day.

Breeds for breeding

There are 3 breeds most popular for breeding.

Diamond

The highlands of China are considered the birthplace of the breed. He has many disadvantages, and only the appearance of the advantages. Performs a decorative function. Cultivation is laborious due to the observance of the temperature regime.

Frost at 25-30 degrees is fatal for them.

In winter, the room must be heated. Due to the lack of exotic plants for food, the feed must constantly contain vitamins, herbs and fish fat... Rarely reach a mass of 1 kg. About 30 eggs are brought in per season.

Silver

One of the most popular types for breeding at home. Originally a bird from China, but to climatic conditions She has adapted very well to Russia. It tolerates frosts of 30 degrees well due to its dense plumage. The breed is sensitive to drafts.

The average weight is 5 kg. Differs in high egg production - 50 eggs per season.

To increase egg production, 5-6 eggs are left in the nest under the female to stimulate her productivity.

It is considered one of the most suitable species for breeding. due to high egg production and quick dial mass when fattening for meat. Scarecrows are willingly bought to decorate hunting houses and restaurants.

Gold

One of the most popular pheasants for decorative breeding. Due to its low weight, it is not grown on an industrial scale. The mass is rarely more than 1kg. Low egg production - 25 pieces per season. The taste of meat does not differ much in value.

Sensitive to frost. The temperature limit is -20 degrees, provided there is no draft. Contained in a warm house. The main food is greens. To replenish microelements, vitamins C, B6, B12, and fish oil are necessarily present in food.

Kamagan pheasant breeding farm

How to feed pheasants: detailed instructions for beginners

The main food for the chicks is a hard-boiled egg mixed with herbs. The water is replaced with serum. Mixed feed for chickens is gradually added. On the 5th day of life, you can give millet porridge cooked in milk. At two months, they are transferred to the main diet of adult birds.

Adult pheasants are fed with wheat, corn, barley, fresh vegetables... Ascorbic acid and a little sugar are added to the compound feed to raise immunity. Fish flour, fish oil and chalk are used for the entry of trace elements into the body. You only need to drink pheasants cold water... The daily food intake is 100g. Costs per year for 1 bird - 36 kg.

Food and water are placed under a canopy in the shade. For this, large and convenient feeders and drinkers are used. The main thing is that they are in sufficient quantity to avoid frequent visits to the poultry house.

During the breeding season, the addition of antibiotics (biovit, penicillin, erythromycin) to the diet increases the number of fertilized eggs by 35-40%.

In winter, the amount of feed is increased and vitamins are added to it to improve disease resistance. V winter time electric lighting is additionally connected, increasing the duration of daylight hours to 14 hours. Under these conditions, pheasants will continue to develop normally and will not lose weight.

In the aviary, pheasants get some of the food on their own. It could be green grass, insects, beetle larvae, worms.

The exact amount of compound feed per day is determined empirically. If food remains in the feeder, then its amount is reduced until the birds stop choosing their favorite ingredients, but eat it completely.

The pheasant is the only bird that eats the Colorado potato beetle. From such food, they noticeably gain weight. If pheasants with tied wings are released on potato beds, they will rid the garden of this pest.

After the chicks appear, they are kept in a specially prepared area for 3 weeks. The density should be no more than 30 animals per m².

Pheasant chicks are temperature sensitive. In the first days after emergence, the temperature should be 28 ° C. It is gradually reduced, but not lower than 20 ° C.

Chicks do not need additional artificial lighting. Daylight hours are enough for them to grow and develop.

Diseases, treatment and care

If a pheasant violates the traditional daily routine, attention is paid to the well-being of the bird. If signs of disease are detected, appropriate measures are taken.

Pheasant diseases are divided into 3 groups:
Infectious diseases

Smallpox. Viral disease... Has a high mortality rate. Signs: A rash on the legs and head without feathers. The bird develops shortness of breath, a hoarse voice, exhaustion sets in. Asphyxiation becomes the cause of death. They are treated with antiviral drugs, a solution of Lugol is applied to the rash.
Laryngotracheitis. The virus is transmitted by air after ingestion of contaminated food and water. The latency period is 1-5 days. Signs: loss of appetite, cough, sneezing, shortness of breath. Egg production decreases, the eggshell is broken. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor after the results of laboratory tests.
Aspergillosis. The causative agent is a fungus that affects the bronchi and air sacs. Signs: excessive thirst, beak and legs become bluish. Antifungal aerosols are prescribed for treatment.

Non-communicable diseases

Dermatitis. It is an inflammation that occurs after an injury to the skin. The affected area turns red and is covered with a brown crust. The treatment is long, because the bird constantly pecks itching fate. For treatment, antibiotics and vitamins are prescribed, the wounds are smeared with iodine.
Emphysema. It is characterized by the appearance of blisters throughout the body, displaced by pressure. After piercing, air escapes from the holes. The reason is the rupture of the wall of the air sac. The bird almost does not move, stops eating. Treat by limiting mobility in a cramped cage and dressing the wings. In this case, the bubbles are pierced and treated with an antiseptic.

Invasive diseases

Scabies. A common disease caused by ticks. Signs: lime deposits spread from the corner of the beak white capturing the whole head. The feather cover on the head disappears. It gradually spreads throughout the body. For treatment, the affected area is cleaned of overlays and smeared with a 0.15% neguven solution.
Infection with chewing lice. These are small insects that live on the feathers of a bird. Infection occurs through mosquitoes and midges. In warm weather, most birds are infected. Pheasants cope with them by taking baths from a mixture of sand and ash. V neglected cases the bird is treated with insecticidal preparations.

Pheasant female with offspring

Advantages and disadvantages

When considering a pheasant farming business, some of its disadvantages come to light:

The need to invest significant funds to make a profit.
The finickyness of the bird requires the creation of conditions for living and the correct selection of food.
Implementation can be difficult due to the high cost of meat.

Business advantages:

The meat is dietary and has excellent taste. There is a great demand for it from restaurants and shops.
Lack of competition in this area, you can take your own market segment.

Profitability: is it worth breeding?

According to experts, the profitability of the business is at the level of 45-55%. For the poultry industry, these are high rates. The invested funds pay off in 6-12 months.

The cost of farmed pheasant meat is similar to the cost of duck meat. When grown for meat, an optimal weight of 1-1.5 kg is achieved by 4 months. Combined feed consumption is 4-5 kg.

For the entire feeding period, the cost of maintaining 1 individual is about 400 rubles. When selling live weight, you can get 600 rubles. The cost of fresh meat will be 700 rubles. When breeding at home, the net profit is about 300 rubles.