Pheasant breeds: 17 species, breeding and keeping at home

Pheasants are bred for the sake of beauty, in this bird the males are colored very colorful and bright. The homeland of the species is Southeast Asia, but in Russia pheasants have successfully acclimatized and are now also raised as poultry. Consider a general description, the advantages and disadvantages of pheasant breeds, home conditions, whether it is possible to keep them with chickens.

Popular pheasant breeds

Pheasants that can be raised in households belong to different breeds. Consider the description, pros and cons of some of them.

Hunter

Plumage of males: the body is covered with dark red and light brown feathers with black ends, the head and neck are blue with greens. Females are grey-brown, not bright.

Pros and consresistance to diseases, weather conditions;grow fast, fatten, females lay up to 50 eggs per year.males are aggressive, fight among themselves, so they must be kept separately;difficulties in organizing care and maintenance.

Representatives of the breed live in the steppes of Russia and neighboring countries, they are often hunted.

Green

In males of this breed, the chest and belly are green, the back, wings and tail are gray-blue, the head is blue with greenery. Females are brownish, inconspicuous.

Pros and consendurance, resistance to cold;calm character.small size and weight;not the prevalence of the breed.

Representatives of this subspecies live 6-7 years.

Common Pheasant

The head and neck of the male are yellow-green with a dark purple tint. Yellow-orange feathers on the back with a black border and copper-red uppertail. The tail is yellow-brown with a reddish-violet tint. The female is painted pale, gray-sand or brownish.

Pros and conscan be kept in enclosures almost all year round;tasty meat with game taste.weight slightly more than 1 kg:high cost of birds to buy.

Despite the high cost, this is one of the most common breeds.

Diamond

Males are very colorful: plumage combines white, blue and emerald colors. There are red feathers on the sides of the tail. Females are brownish, inconspicuous color.

Pros and consdecorative;good egg production.light weight;exactingness to maintenance and feeding;thermophilicity.

Due to the bright attractive plumage of diamond pheasants, they are often preferred by poultry farmers.

Gold

Male have red chest and belly, bright yellow back. A feature and at the same time decoration of the breed is a yellow crest on the head and yellow feathers with a black stripe descending from the neck in the form of a collar. Females with characteristic plumage.

Pros and consalmost omnivorous, indiscriminate in food;adaptation to the Russian climate.small size;insufficient egg production.

Golden pheasants are rightfully considered one of the most beautiful birds, even a pair of red and yellow individuals can decorate any farmstead.

Royal

The body of males is covered with yellow, red and white feathers with black edging. The head is white with a wide black stripe at eye level. The tail is long, made up of their light feathers with black stripes. Females, as usual, are covered with light brown and black feathers.

Pros and consin temperate climates can winter in an aviary;from crossing with hunting, he althy, prolific offspring is obtained.fearfulness;more than for other breeds, living space is required.

Royal pheasants are very popular with poultry farmers along with other varieties.

Eared

The plumage of males is predominantly one-color: white, gray-blue and light blue (depending on the species). The tail is wide and relatively short. The females are similarly colored as the males, but smaller in size. The peculiarity of the species: there are peculiar horns of white feathers on the head.

Pros and conspeculiar appearance;calm, friendly character.thermophilicity;rare view.

Eared pheasants are easily tamed and make contact with humans.

Himalayan

This pheasant looks like a common pheasant, but has a white stripe on the wings and a crest of thin feathers on the head.

Pros and consdecorative;feed mainly on plant foods.belong to protected species;special conditions are required.

Exotic bird can become a real decoration of the farmstead.

Silver

Birds have a blue-black chest and belly, back and tail are silver-gray.

Pros and consundemanding to maintenance and feed;large sizes;egg production up to 50 pcs. eggs;calm character.aggressiveness;do not get along with other birds.

Silver pheasant - a breed for industrial breeding for meat.

Taiwanese

Another species name is pile. The coloration of males consists of dark blue, black, green, crimson and brown areas. The back, tail feathers and crest are white.

Pros and consfeel good and breed in captivity;indiscriminate in food.belong to rare species;are expensive.

Taiwan pheasants can live up to 15 years.

Argus

One of the largest species of the family. Weighs 3-5 kg. Large wings and long tail. Plumage color in brown tones.

Pros and consbig sizes;omnivorous.exactingness to the conditions of detention;non-proliferation.

Horned

Feathers of males of different shades of red with white spots.

Pros and consreproduces well;long lives.caution, fearfulness;rare view.

The lifespan of a bird is 12-13 years.

Peacock

The male and female are brown-gray, with peacock-like feathers and dark green eyes.

Pros and consfeed on grain, berries, fruits, insects;quickly adapt.shyness of birds;can only live in a warm house or aviary.

Wedgetail

Females and males are about the same color, but males have a crest on the head and on its sides.

Pros and consgood adaptation to different conditions;manage the standard diet for chickens.sensitivity to humidity;small body size.

Romanian

A hybrid of Japanese and native pheasants that have been raised in captivity. Plumage in blue-green tones.

Pros and consunpretentiousness;fast growth on normal food;large size, egg production.for breeding chicks, it is necessary to use incubators;inhospitable character.

Yellow

The color resembles a golden pheasant. But, unlike the latter, his body does not have red feathers, only yellow ones.

Pros and conseat insects, grass, grain;undemanding to the climate.small size and weight;lay few eggs.

Lofurs

Males are colored red, blue and yellow, females are brown-grey. The genus includes 11 species, including Bulferova and Siamese lofur and others.

Pros and consfemales hatch chicks themselves;They eat both plant and animal food.a rare species for Russia;thermophilicity.

Features of maintenance and care at home

Keep pheasants in an aviary and poultry house - in the cold season. The conditions of keeping and care are similar to those for any poultry.

Feed birds with grain, grass, berries, fruits, insects, worms. For breeding, you need to buy an incubator, since not all females are set up to raise chicks on their own.

Can I keep with chickens?

It is advisable to keep pheasants separate from any birds. They are smaller in size and often have a quarrelsome character. The pheasant family has many species, many of which can be kept on your farm. These are colorful birds that are bred as ornamentals.But it can also be grown for meat.