The wife now has chickens in her coop. So what shows up at the door? This funny lookin chicken!
Actually, he's been running around in the field all year, but just started looking for handouts about 3 days ago. I expect he's somebody's hand raised bird that got turned out last year. We've been throwing him tidbits the last few days because its been so cold and the little fella has a bum foot. Don't know if it was the neighbor's dog or a shotgun, but I figured a couple of days of treats wouldn't hurt. Seems to be working. Three days ago he couldn't get his foot on the ground. Yesterday he was hobbling on the knuckles and today he was actually getting his toes touching. A couple more days and I can quit feeding him. I don't need no pet pheasants.
Georgeous bird and great photos SHF! You're making the hunters jealous no doubt. I was too on the way home tonight. I glanced over in a field not far from our house and saw a flock of wild turkey grazing on the corn stubble [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
I have rapidly learned that you DO NOT hand feed a pheasant. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] He will take bread from your fingers without hurting you. The problem is that he was half domesticated to begin with. Now he expects food. And boy, if you don't give it to him...
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So, all future feeding will have to be through a feeder set away from the house. He does make a good guard bird though. Anybody can come down the drive. But once you're there, unless you personally feed the bird until he looses interest, you can't leave. He will race and fly to get ahead of the vehicle, plop in the middle of the drive and scream his head off. Makes one heck of a racket. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Thanks for the posts on the new addition to the feeding schedule. Please keep us posted on his progress. My wife walked up behind me and I read her your post she loved it.
Mike
The bird has, over the past couple of days, taken to chasing cars. Not just racing them. He now chases them both in and out the drive, and trying to attack them. His foot appears somewhat better as he is stating to put the toes of that foot on the round to walk, but he still has a pretty good gimp. He appears to have staked out this field as his own and is chasing the cars to try to get rid of them.
On the other hand, he comes when my wife calls to him, but still won't show up when I whistle. Which is really too bad, because I thought it might be kind of cool to have an attack chicken. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
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