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Answer
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Janet
asked
on
8/19/2007,
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When will a baby pheasant change its color(sex)and leave the mother and go on it's own? Will the babies stay in the same area as the mother does? They're in my backyard!!! Great!!! |
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Jim's answer: |
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Hen pheasants begin to nest and lay their clutch of 10-12 olive-brown eggs in April and early May. The hen incubates her eggs for 23 days before the chicks hatch out. Pheasant chicks are covered in soft down just like domestic chicks, but within a week they begin to grow wing feathers which allow them to take short flights at only two weeks of age. This fast track to flying is critical in order for them to escape predators like fox, coyotes, raccoons, and neighborhood cats. It's very difficult to see the diffenence between you pheasant hens and roosters until they start to get their adult plumage at 4 to 5 months of age. Hens keep their mottled brown color all their lives but as males mature you can see their gaudy iridescent, greenish-black heads, red face wattles, long striped teails, and of course their namesake- the white ring around their necks. Hens stay with their chicks until they are at least eight weeks old. They then spread out in search of their favorite foods which is about 82 percent grain, especially corn. Adults also eat wild seeds, insects, and plant leaves. Pheasants prefer to live in rural areas where most of the land is under cultivation with wetlands or undistrubed grassy areas nearby. |
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