Checking on My Trio of Pheasants

March 6, 2024

My three Golden Pheasants are settling in nicely here at my farm.

I adopted these exotic gamebirds earlier this year from the Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary in nearby South Salem, New York, a wonderful and caring organization and go-to resource for at-risk animals from New York City and the surrounding areas. Pheasants are native to the forests in the mountainous areas of western China. The males are beautifully marked with mainly bright red, orange, and yellow plumage. My three are acclimating to their coop and recently started venturing outdoors into their enclosure.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: Here is one of my three pheasants exiting the coop for some fresh air on this very rainy day. This coop is completely enclosed for safety and has two ramps for easy access to the outdoor pen.

: The coop is well-protected with interchangeable windows, so screens can be used on warmer days.

: The pheasants enjoy watching the farm activity from inside their coop. Being near my stable, they get lots of visitors.

: This red Golden Pheasant male is the brighter of the two with its red breast and body. The pheasant is such a beautifully colored gamebird.

: Some of the other markings include a yellow ruff or cape edged in blue-black, green back, with a yellow rump and red and blue wings.

: Here is another view. It also shows yellow-gold eyes, bill, crest, and legs.

: This is the other red Golden Pheasant, still brilliantly colored, but with slightly darker shades.

: The central tail feathers are black spotted with cinnamon, and the tip of the tail is cinnamon buff. When mature, the red Golden Pheasant adult can reach 40-inches in length, with his tail measuring nearly two thirds of its overall length.

: The red Golden Pheasant can weigh between one and two pounds when full grown. This one is vey active and loves to run round the coop. Do you know… while pheasants are able to fly fast for short distances, they actually prefer to run. If startled however, they will flush up at speeds of 38 to 48 miles-per-hour. If chased or threatened, they can even fly as fast as 60 miles-per-hour.

: Males have the golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan.

: The striped cape can be spread in display, appearing as an alternating black and orange fan that covers the face.

: This yellow Golden Pheasant male has a yellow crown, lower back, with dark wings and upper neck.

: The yellow is a color mutation of the red golden pheasant. It was originally developed in the 1950s. To maintain the yellow coloring, these birds need shaded areas to protect their feathers from the sun.

: All my outdoor birds get a good supply of seeds. Pheasants also eat insects, berries, and plant matter.

: I always provide different types of feeders, so they can select which they like best.

: Here is another feeder on the floor of their coop. I do this especially in winter when birds like to bulk up on high-energy foods to build fat reserves that keep them warm.

: Pheasants also enjoy fresh greens. I provide lots of fresh vegetables and fruits for all my birds. Here, we just gave them some zucchini for an afternoon snack.