Breeding Pheasant - A mating game

Proud cock pheasant with his ladies

Pheasant are not a native bird to the UK and therefore the majority of birds seen around the countryside have been released at some time, albeit a few successfully breed in the wild.  A previous blog on pheasants was published back in May last year. Sporting Estates invest huge amounts of time and effort into their bird stocks and so it is with great interest I am going to follow the breeding season of a few pheasant on the Dougarie Estate.

Davy Anderson with a small pen

The Estate hasn't bred it's own birds for quite a number of years, but the new gamekeeper, David Anderson, has a lot of experience in this area and will be testing his skills over the next few months.

One of the main pens

Capturing the birds provided the first hurdle, and Davy set traps to capture both male and female (Cocks & Hens), before transporting them back to the ready made avaries on the estate.  One one return journey - he stopped outside the lodge and commented about the number of hens he had seen while driving back, before realising he hadn't closed the basket on the back of the quad!

Female (hen) pheasant 

Undeterred, sufficient birds are now being managed in purpose built avaries.  There is plenty of room, as the cocks will fight for the females, along with fresh water, food and shelter.  The same needs of any animal and if the accommodation / care isn't good enough the birds are unlikely to breed.  The pen is covered to prevent predators (mainly buzzards - there are no foxes on Arran) from having an easy meal.

The birds enjoying a bit of sunshine

Unlike hens, pheasant tend only to lay eggs in the breeding season between February & April. So now we are just waiting for the first egg!

Images copyright of Arran in Focus