Melanistic Pheasant

Description

Melanistic pheasants are among the top variety of pheasant to raise and release on farmland. They are prized for their strong survival instinct, adaptability, and excellent reproductive rate. They are exceptionally cold hardy, but handle hot weather equally well.

Also called black pheasants or melanistic mutant pheasants, they are a mutation of the common ringneck pheasant. They were first spotted in the British countryside in the late 1800s and later developed into a distinct breed.

The male has black plumage with an iridescent blue-green sheen, a striped tail, and a red wattle. The female is dark and less glossy, providing her with excellent camouflage for brooding.

Prime habitat for melanistic pheasants is up to 70% crop fields (corn, soybeans, small grains) and the rest in a brushy thickets, grassland, wetlands or woodland. Released pheasants subsist on a combination of grains, insects, plants, and small invertebrates such as slugs and worms.

In captivity the hens lay 30 to 60 eggs per season and rarely brood. However, melanistic pheasants do not take kindly to captivity. They constantly look for ways to escape and, when crowded, become aggressive toward each other.

Melanistic pheasants much prefer to live in the wild, with plenty of places to forage and hide. Released melanistic hens will lay an average of 10 to 12 eggs. They then stop laying for the year and concentrate on hatching and raising the chicks, which have a high survival rate.

The tiny chicks are black with whitish spots or stripes on their necks. They grow fast, flying by the age of 2 weeks and reaching maturity at about 16 to 18 weeks.

When raising melanistic chicks for release, feed them pheasant or gamebird rations. Place marbles or small stones in their chick waterer or use a drown-proof waterer base. Move them to a roomy flight pen at 6 weeks of age, where they can strengthen their flight muscles.

Before owning or releasing gamebirds, check legalities with your state wildlife agency. Some states may prohibit or regulate ownership or release.