Pheasants are gregarious creatures. If you’ve ever seen a free-range pheasant, you’ve probably noticed that their family structure follows some tight laws.
Ranking begins the moment a baby pheasant hatches or new members are introduced, and everyone in the flock quickly learns their rank.
The rank of a pheasant can be determined by its size, color, age, or personality, and freshly integrated pheasants are frequently lower in the pecking order than those on the home ground.
Pecking by baby pheasants occurs for a variety of causes. It could be because it’s too hot, too crowded, there’s not enough fresh air, there’s not enough feeder or waterer area, or the pheasants need to form a “leader.”
What does it mean baby pheasants pecking each other?
It is common for birds to peck excessively when they are under a lot of stress, bored, unwell or crowded.
Even though your flock will always have a natural pecking order, there are strategies to keep your pheasants from causing each other serious harm.
How do you stop baby pheasants from pecking each other?
Prevent Overcrowding
In an overcrowded environment, baby pheasants are more inclined to peck each other than if they have more room.
Each pheasant requires 8 square feet of outdoor space and 4 square feet of inside space, depending on a variety of conditions.
If pecking is still occurring, you may need to install walls to their living arrangement so that they can have some alone time when needed.
The addition of boxes or perches, for example, will allow individual pheasants to have their place when they need it.
Incorporate several feeding and water stations as well – especially if the pheasants are living with a large number of other animals.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on why pheasants eat gravel
Make the Environment Comfortable
Pecking can be avoided by making sure the brooder is comfy. To help the pheasants relax, keep the lights dark.
Warm temperatures can enhance aggression, so keep the temperature within the coop at a comfortable level.
When baby pheasants are about a week old, they require a consistent temperature of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reduce the temperature by 5 degrees per week until they reach 9 weeks of age.
The brooder temperature should be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit by then, and for the rest of the time.
This is the lowest temperature at which pheasants can remain healthy and safe.
Take Care of the Injured
Separate any injured or weak pheasants into a brooding area as soon as possible.
Pheasants will bully ailing animals, causing the entire group to become aggressive.
Separation is especially crucial if the injury is bleeding, as other pheasants will sense blood and intensify and multiply attacks.
Harmonious Living
Individually, pheasants can recognize one another. Don’t change the colour or appearance of a particular animal to avoid pecking and aggression problems.
For example, don’t use red or pink nail polish to distinguish between two women.
This signals to other pheasants that this one is unique, which may result in the pecking.
Furthermore, while growing different coloured pheasants, preserve an equal quantity of each colour to avoid one or two oddballs.
If you need to add new pheasants to the flock, keep the colour balance in mind.
Why do pheasants attack each other?
Male pheasants are known to be violent towards one another during the breeding season.
Hormones and pheromones induce this event, which is aided by the swelling red wattles that surround the face.
How do you stop pheasants from fighting?
Boredom, as well as overcrowding, may contribute to the habit, therefore giving the birds something to do is the best approach to reduce its occurrence.
Perches, plenty of material to peck at (such as hanging straw bales or naturally growing flora), and enough space all assist to alleviate the problem.
Can 2 male pheasants live together?
If you’re familiar with male pheasants, you’re probably aware of how territorial they are.
Male pheasants can be housed together, but only if no females are present.
Male pheasants will battle each other in possibly dangerous combat if a female pheasant is around.
In addition to the presence of a female, the introduction of male pheasants to one another is important.
Male pheasants are territorial by nature, and this territoriality is heightened during the breeding season.
Male pheasants become more violent during the breeding season to mark their territory and claim hens.
As they try to keep other pheasant roosters away, they will shriek, crow, squawk, and cackle.
They may battle an intruder if alerted, and such confrontations can be lethal. In the absence of a pheasant hen, however, the likelihood of breeding season violence is reduced.
There won’t be any hens to fight over. The absence of a female pheasant isn’t the only factor to consider when it comes to male pheasant cohabitation.
Conclusion
Initially, baby pheasants combat each other to establish a pecking order, but this is a brief battle.
Bullying, on the other hand, is a sustained attack that occurs for a variety of causes.
Overcrowding and boredom are the most prevalent causes of attacks, so make sure the pheasants are kept in a safe and comfortable habitat.
Also, make sure the pheasants are healthy by removing eggs and changing the water daily.
