Pheasant eggs

[susanq]

I have discovered some eggs in one of the stone troughs outside the front of my house. They have increased in number from three to seven since the weekend. A neighbour has identified them as pheasant eggs. Does anyone know if the hen is likely to sit on these and hatch them? If so, what the hell am I going to do with a load of pheasants?

[madbadger]

Bit of butter, sprig of thyme. 50 minutes at 180.

[JuniorD]

That's cool, you are privileged. Make sure that cats, magpies and rats don't disturb the nest or take the eggs. Hatched pheasants are lovely looking wee critters, they won't be a problem to have around and shouldn't be a bother to you.

[Don]

susanq said:

I have discovered some eggs in one of the stone troughs outside the front of my house. They have increased in number from three to seven since the weekend. A neighbour has identified them as pheasant eggs. Does anyone know if the hen is likely to sit on these and hatch them? If so, what the hell am I going to do with a load of pheasants?

You won't need to do anything. They will feed themselves and fly off if you let them. Alternatively you can start feeding them and see if you can persuade them to stay. They're very attractive birds.

And, of course, you can eat them after if you like. They really are delicious. Butter and thyme as mentioned above, brown the outside in a pan and then into the oven. Mmmmm.

[Bill]

madbadger said:

Bit of butter, sprig of thyme. 50 minutes at 180.

My first thought was to move this to the food and drink forum

[Busamav]

Don said:

Alternatively you can start feeding them and see if you can persuade them to stay. They're very attractive birds.

.

We now have friendly pheasants , as you say the males truly are beautiful.

They can be a pain when they start sqwawking (sp)for food at first light though

[Jasandjules]

Busamav said:

They can be a pain when they start sqwawking (sp)for food at first light though

We have the exact same thing. Three male and up to fifteen females (but only usually half a dozen of them) frequent our garden now, I can stand within touching distance of them and they just eat the grub. They will be lined up along the wall yelling at me if their breakfast is a bit late though! We buy chicken feed rather than bird seed (it's £7 for a 15kg bag which is a damn sight cheaper than the wild bird food from Tesco!) and they also get leftover chips/cake/prawn crackers.

We also have a pure white one who attends now and again and an almost pure black one as well who rarely stops by.

[Busamav]

I have noticed this year that there are a lot more colours , seen black males , also like a bottle green.

Quite a few white hens this year, certainly seems to have been a better survival rate this year .

I guess it was a tad too cold for the serious sporting marksmen to go out and expertly take down these cunning birds this season

[Don]

Busamav said:

I guess it was a tad too cold for the serious sporting marksmen to go out and expertly take down these cunning birds this season

The shoots round our way were all going ahead. You get quite a survival rate anyway. The birds fly off and take up living somewhere like my Mum's field where it's only me and my brother-in-law who might decide to eat one...and that so infrequently there's always a couple of cocks and a good few hens on the land. They nest there too so you get subsequent generations.

I like them. They add something to "the estate"

[susanq]

I now have a pheasant hen sitting on 14 eggs in my flower trough. Cute.

[Bill]

We need pics to salivate over admire

[AstonZagato]

Jasandjules said:

We also have a pure white one who attends now and again and an almost pure black one as well who rarely stops by.

Black pheasants are generally known as melanistic pheasants and it is a genetic mutation.

Edited by AstonZagato on Friday 23 April 16:13