A Very Pleasant Pheasant

[Patty]

When we first started raising chickens many years ago, one of our neighbors brought over several pheasant eggs. We placed them under one of our hens and she proceeded to sit on them until they hatched. Everything was fine with her raising the pheasant chicks until one day old mamma hen saw one of our cats getting too close to them. She cackled her "DANGER" warning to the chicks, expecting them to all huddle under her wings until the danger had passed. However, unlike chickens, pheasant chicks will scatter and run at the first sign of danger. Poor old mamma hen was so flustered and upset when she couldn't herd in her babies. I felt so sorry for her. Eventually the cat was successful and we saw the chicks disappear over the next several days. We decided right then and there to never put a mamma hen through that kind of trauma ever again.

[ely]

patty, sounds like you should get one of those bb guns from the other thread and give the cat a small amount of counseling.

[Norm]

The momma cat Patty's talking about was an amazing hunter. We had a water heater cut in half that we used as a watering hole for the cats dogs and various birds. Some domestic and plenty of wild birds. On several occassions the cat would sit very still a few feet away waiting for sparrows that came in to drink. She'd make a fast rush and then leap over the waterer to snatch them out of middair. First time Patty saw it she told me you'll never believe it, I soon saw the cat do the same. One day the cat came up missing. I'm sure an owl or coyote got her. And so it goes.

The pheasants in our area are thick on the road shoulders right now. We've had tons of snow so they come out to eat from where the snow plows have winged back the ditch. They are not very smart about traffic so you really have to slow down or you'll lose a headlight or grill hitting them.

[scsmith42]

LeeB - we've got one Blue India and one Emerald cock, a white hen, and three India Blue hens.

Of all the fowl, I think that I like the Peafowl the best.  Sure is hard to raise the young 'uns thogh - about a 60% mortality getting them to 3 years of age. 

Scott

[isawlogs]

Scott .. they that good eating ,  ???   I 'm a gonna get me some for sure now ...  :P

[scsmith42]

Marcel - let me guess...   they taste like chicken! :D

[Coon]

Nope they don't taste like chicken.  They taste like shoe leather.  Don't ask me how I know either. :D :D

[isawlogs]

Coon . What I want to know is how you came about to know how boot leather tastes like ...   Then again maybe not ....  :-\  Oh never mind . There are things that are better left alone .  ;D

[Lud]

A few years ago we were just hitting the highway and we saw a cock pheasant was flying across the highway but was losing altitude as he came to the west bound lane and he intersected with the front window of a pickup.  He bounced up in the air like a sand wedge shot, and  landed on the margin deader than a doornail.

We'd been invited for the following day to have smoked Cornish Game Hens at a friend who hunts my farm so I pulled a U ee and picked up that road-killed pheasant and dropped it off at my buddy's and he cleaned him up and put him in the smoker with the hens.

Sure tasted good.  The wife doesn't particularly like me telling the "We eat roadkill" story.   :D :D

That's my pheasant story........

[Larry]

In Missouri we were right on the southern edge of pheasant range.  The conservation department met landowners in the area and decided to try pheasant restoration.  It looked successful for the first few years but eventually the population declined until we were lucky to see one a winter.  I felt bad as the pheasant is such a beautiful bird to see and observe. 

Now that we are in Arkansas there is no chance of seeing a pheasant but we have the southern cousin to the pheasant...its called the roadrunner.  I've yet to have much hunting success but can't wait until I cook my first bird.

So there...that's my pheasant story and I'm sticking to it. ;D

[farmerdoug]

Isawlogs,

Peafowl are alot like wild turkey, heavy on the dark meat.  But also like a turkey the younger the better.  Don't forget to send SwampDonkey some feathers. ;)

Now just try an old Guinea hen, talk about shoe leather.  Just like old layers, they make good soup only.

Farmerdoug