Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[TheFeatheredFiend]

Hello, We're in the process of starting up.

We're going for around six hens (probably orpingtons and/or sussexs) in a cube at the bottom of our slightly wild rural garden.

We've got trees, bushes, brambles, old fruit trees (plum, apple, pear) lots of rough lawn. Hopefully chicken paradise.

However. Because the garden backs on to fields and countryside we get lots of native visitors, most notably a large cock pheasant (who we've christened Nigel Pilkington) who's taken up residence in the corner where we intend to put the cube.

How is Nigel likely to react to half a dozen attractive young ladies (albeit of a different species) pottering around in his territory? Will he be a threat?

 

Anyone got experiance of hens v wildfowl?

[Eggasperated]

I imagine he's got his own harem of lady pheasants somewhere .

We have a lot of pheasants in our garden and don't have any problem with them and the hens. Occasionally a pheasant accidentally lands in the electric fence area but they don't go near the hens as they are too busy panicking to get out, mind you it keeps the hens entertained watching them .

[jlo]

I seem to remember asking this a couple of years ago and I seem to remember that the general consensus was that there wouldn't be a problem. We get up to 12 pheasants at a time in the garden and when the girls are FR they seem to keep their distance.

 

My only issue has been when a pheasant has gone into the run when the door is open. If I come down the garden and startle it, it always seems to forget how to fly and keeps bashing into the fence!

[Goosey Lucy]

I've had hens and pheasants (and wild bunnies) in a field with no problems.

 

Sheep are a totally different story though

[PeckyBeak]

We have pheasants and a pair of ducks that come for their feed every morning, which they get after I have fed the chooks in their WIR, the pheasants patiently wait as I 'speak' to them. 'Bip bip bip' Later when the chooks are Free ranging though they chase both the ducks and pheasants away, so chooks always have the upper hand. However, pheasants and ducks can both carry diseases so it isn't a good idea to encourage them. I have a small fenced off area where I place the ducks, pheasants and wild birds feed but it isn't ideal.

[lillybettybabs]

We live in the middle of a shoot,

Every year around this time a cock bird serenades my girls to no avail, bless him for trying though.

[Chucky Mama]

As children we had ducks and chickens and I had a pet pure white cock pheasant (given to me by a gamekeeper as it would have died in the wild). He lived with the ducks and chickens but did get in fights with the 2 cockerals and did one day kill the smaller one Having said that we have a male pheasant that visits our garden from time to time and he leaves our girls well alone.

[Chortle Chook]

I've had hens and pheasants (and wild bunnies) in a field with no problems.

 

Sheep are a totally different story though

I wouldn't want to side track this, but can't help but be curious. What is the issue with chickens and sheep?

[Goosey Lucy]

Umm, we borrowed 4 sheep to act as mobile lawmowers in the chicken field when the grass got a bit long. However they decided that eating the layers pellets was preferable to reducing the height of the grass. The barged their way into all 4 cubes, ransacked like marauders and left big sheep shaped dents in the runs. When I made the entrances tiny they tried going in through the sides. Never again. They were only in the field a week and my nerves were in tatters. The hens all stopped laying too.

[Old Speckled Hen]

There's a field on my dog walk where there are a couple of coops with quite small runs. They hens free range all day and usually sleep in the trees. One day there was a devil of a racket going on and one of the houses was bouncing about. When I looked in there was a sheep in it.........It had gone in after the food and shut the door on itself.

 

We have pheasants checking out the food in the run but the hens usually chase them off, they used to share but something has changed............ah yes....we got a cockerel. He's not sharing his hens with anybody

[Egluntyne]

They will help themselves to the food given half a chance, and it isn't unheard of for pheasants and hens to mate and offspring to result.

[lillybettybabs]

They will help themselves to the food given half a chance, and it isn't unheard of for pheasants and hens to mate and offspring to result.

Luckly my girls are in their runt his time of year!

[Chortle Chook]

They will help themselves to the food given half a chance, and it isn't unheard of for pheasants and hens to mate and offspring to result.

I read somewhere that pheasants are genetically very close to our hens as they are both types of jungle fowl. Could that be true?

[TheFeatheredFiend]

They will help themselves to the food given half a chance, and it isn't unheard of for pheasants and hens to mate and offspring to result.

I read somewhere that pheasants are genetically very close to our hens as they are both types of jungle fowl. Could that be true?

 

Did a little googling and it would seem that domestic chickens and common or ring-necked pheasants can reproduce, although the offspring aren't very hardy. Here are some pictures:

Chicken/pheasant hybrids

Apparently, chickens can produce offspring with peafowl too!

 

edited for spelling

Edited February 17, 2011 by Guest

[Chortle Chook]

Thanks for sharing that. Hens with huge tails I rather like the black ones.