[helenol]

How soon will the chicks fly and how long before they are independant?

I ask because there is a pheasant who is sitting on eggs in the garden. Went out this morning, saw two broken eggs, and one very nice little chick. Very "cute" indeed, let's hope at least some of them make it.

[RobF]

Originally Posted by helenol

How soon will the chicks fly and how long before they are independant?

I ask because there is a pheasant who is sitting on eggs in the garden. Went out this morning, saw two broken eggs, and one very nice little chick. Very "cute" indeed, let's hope at least some of them make it.

They're able to flutter about in an uncontrolled way at about 10 days and should have directional flight at 21 days. Released hen pheasants are notoriously bad mothers so keep you're fingers crossed that she's got some maternal instincts left.

Rob

[snapper]

Originally Posted by helenol

How soon will the chicks fly and how long before they are independant?

I ask because there is a pheasant who is sitting on eggs in the garden. Went out this morning, saw two broken eggs, and one very nice little chick. Very "cute" indeed, let's hope at least some of them make it.

Hi helen in the collins guide Quote young can fly at 10-12 days long before fully grown.

Regards Snapper.

[helenol]

Originally Posted by RobF

Released hen pheasants are notoriously bad mothers so keep you're fingers crossed that she's got some maternal instincts left.
Rob

Thanks for the info Snapper and Rob.

Rob, she seems to be doing pretty well at the moment. I live in a rural area in the woods, so I'm not sure that the pheasant is a released one?

Thanks again.

[Gill Osborne]

We have a female pheasant nesting in our front garden too...so far she's laid nine eggs so it'll be interesting to see if they hatch and she rears them properly.
Unfortunately I do live in an area with loads of shooting so we get hundreds of pheasants released every year.
Haven't seen this female actually on the nest though...we have a male who's constantly calling in the woods to the side of the cottage and often have his two/three 'wives' feeding on spilt grain below my feeders.

GILL

[samuel walker]

Wow H a year after your big move and your a mum LOL.Congratulations. Take care of the little poults?
Sam

[helenol]

Just popped out into the garden, 6 little chicks running around very close to their mother. So cute!!

[helenol]

Oh dear, the mother hasn't been seen for about 3 hours. No sign of the chicks either. Is it possible she has deserted them?

[Dimitris]

Originally Posted by helenol

Oh dear, the mother hasn't been seen for about 3 hours. No sign of the chicks either. Is it possible she has deserted them?

Nah,probably took them for a little stroll through the woods.I wouldn't worry about them.

[helenol]

Yes, but they have literally disappeared from one minute to the next! They must have only hatched this past 24 hours or so, and the last I saw, they were scratching round with the mother, then they all disappeared underneath her.

And then, nothing, the nest is empty, has been for a few hours now. How long could they survive without the mother?

[Jos Stratford]

I would say she has lead them off, rather than deserted them. Common for birds to move young to better feeding area/safer site in the days after hatching.

Different species, but one of the Whooper Swans pairs on my local patch used to breed on one pool but every year would immediately march her newly-hatched brood about three-quarters of a kilometre to a pool which I suppose in their eyes was better! Last year they got logical and built the nest on the favoured pool...same place this year too!

[helenol]

I hope so Jos. Could she have moved them, given that they have just hatched within the last 24 hours?

[Dimitris]

Originally Posted by helenol

I hope so Jos. Could she have moved them, given that they have just hatched within the last 24 hours?

No problem for Pheasant chicks H.

[helenol]

Well, saw the mother this morning. But no chicks. She was wandering about near the nest. Not seen any chicks since late yesterday afternoon.

I think something got them, within the space of about half an hour of me seeing them and them disappearing.

Why is the mother still there though?

[Touty]

Originally Posted by helenol

Well, saw the mother this morning. But no chicks. She was wandering about near the nest. Not seen any chicks since late yesterday afternoon.

I think something got them, within the space of about half an hour of me seeing them and them disappearing.

Why is the mother still there though?

Not a good sign. She may have 'parked' them somewhere. I heard it's very cold in UK this w/e. The chicks can survive a day or two of cold if the mother is doing her job... not much more.

[egret3]

Helen:

Just read this post today
and praying those chicks are OK
Bless them..

Hoping for the best

[helenol]

Originally Posted by Touty

Not a good sign. She may have 'parked' them somewhere. I heard it's very cold in UK this w/e. The chicks can survive a day or two of cold if the mother is doing her job... not much more.

Hiya Touty. Weather not too bad, blue skies, around 15 degrees. Evenings not bad either.

Strange, but she's still sitting, as though she's keeping them warm, but there's nowt there! Are they "programmed" to sit for a specific length of time, regardless of whether the chicks have survived or not?

[timmyjones]

I dunno about the programme theroy but if you put so millet or something down for her she may bring them back any pics so far

[RobF]

Its a shame if she has lost her chicks. Is there an unhatched egg left in the nest that she's sitting on?

Pheasant, partridge and grouse chicks spend the first 12-24hours in the nest cup drying off and then move off with the hen, unless disturbed the brood stays together until fully fledged.

I remember reading about a study done on the breeding success of 50 radio-tagged hen pheasants, they reared 1 chick between them!

Rob

[snapper]

Originally Posted by helenol

Hiya Touty. Weather not too bad, blue skies, around 15 degrees. Evenings not bad either.

Strange, but she's still sitting, as though she's keeping them warm, but there's nowt there! Are they "programmed" to sit for a specific length of time, regardless of whether the chicks have survived or not?

Hi helen I cant see anything managing to take all the chicks in one go if something had got one or even two chicks the rest would have done a runner & called out for mum I will be able ot give you a better idea tomorrow there is a man I work with who breeds them will fill you in tomorrow with all the details.

Regards Snapper.

[snapper]

Hi Helen spoke to dave at work today he does not sound to hopeful he said they don't leave there mothers side in the wild for the first couple of days he says its different with captive birds he also said they may have been spooked by a fox, badger or raptor in most cases the mother would lead the preditor away he said it may take 24/48 hours to meet up again if ever, she may have gone back to the nest as this was the last place they were all together or she may have resided her self that they have gone & a case of start all over again he said these are only his thorughts & can only speculate what the mother is thinking.

Good luck Snapper.

[helenol]

Thanks for that Snapper

Well, I saw her this morning sitting on the nest, but then she disappeared again, not seen her since. No sign of the chicks, so I'm resigned to the fact that they have been taken. A damn shame as they seemed to be doing ok too. And they were so damn cute!

Well, I wonder if she'll try again. To be honest I hope she doesn't use the garden again, I can't be doing with the stress levels!

Ah well....

[RobF]

Originally Posted by helenol

Thanks for that Snapper

Well, I saw her this morning sitting on the nest, but then she disappeared again, not seen her since. No sign of the chicks, so I'm resigned to the fact that they have been taken. A damn shame as they seemed to be doing ok too. And they were so damn cute!

Well, I wonder if she'll try again. To be honest I hope she doesn't use the garden again, I can't be doing with the stress levels!

Ah well....

I would have thought she has abandoned the chicks rather than them being taken by a predator. I've seen them jump over drystone walls and walk off leaving the brood behind to get chilled off and picked off by predators. A couple of hundred generations of captive rearing hasn't helped the pheasants maternal instincts.

Rob

[Touty]

Originally Posted by RobF

I would have thought she has abandoned the chicks rather than them being taken by a predator. I've seen them jump over drystone walls and walk off leaving the brood behind to get chilled off and picked off by predators. A couple of hundred generations of captive rearing hasn't helped the pheasants maternal instincts.

Rob

I work a lot with game farm grey partridges and poor maternal instincts are common in all reared birds where the chicks can (or are) be reared artificially. Basically, Darwinian selection ruthlessly punishes poor mothers by wiping out their offspring, but in game farms even the Vicky Pollards of this world are able to pass on their genes to the next generation. I was a bit surprised at the possible abandonment though, as incubation is the usual hurdle they have to get over, and having managed that (broodiness is one of the first characteristics to vanish from reared gamebirds) thought she might have made a better job of it. Perhaps a predator did get at them.

[helenol]

I can't see that she did abandon them, as she was still present at/near the nest yesterday, long after there were no more sighting of the chicks.

Predation I would think is more likely. Please also bear in mind where I live, i.e. rural, in the the woods, so God knows what is walking around here. Plus we have a few magpies at the moment, (only usually see them in the breeding season, then they bugger off).