Chickens and Pheasants

[frogga]

This may sound quite daft, but would a male pheasant be interested in some chickens? Over the past few days we have had one in the garden, following them around and puffing its feathers up. I don't know what this behaviour is, however when it gets chased (they are very quick runners!) it goes into the wooded area of our garden, hides and reappears around 15 minutes later.

Any Ideas?

Andrew

[Nicos]

I'd say it is desperate to find a girlfriend!

I say this because 'Albert' Peacock came to live with us for a year- just arrived one day from a local farm and then almost a year to the day went walk-about when he realised my chooks weren't interested in him...awwww.
He used to do a fantastic display to them too.

I think peacocks and pheasants are related- so if a peacock will flirt for a whole year before giving up- then I bet your pheasant is lonely!

[frogga]

Would it try to mate with them? I don't want to let them out if he will constantly follow them, and if it got its way and mated would the eggs be edible?

[RichmondHens]

It is unlikely he will mate with them, and even if he does the eggs will be perfectly edible. You can eat "pure" pheasant eggs too by the way, any egg is edible, just the taste differs from species to species. It is possible to produce young from a pheasant/chicken mating, but it is usually done deliberately - left to their own devices I suspect they prefer their own kind. The cock pheasant will certainly hang around and possibly display to the hens but I doubt he will get interested enough to mate. If he is anything like the ones that hang around my pens he will be more interested in the food!!

[frogga]

Thanks Richmond Hens for the advice, I will keep an eye out to ensure it doesn't get into the pen and scoff. If he is caught in the pen it maybe pheasant on the table!