VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

PHEASANTS AND QUAIL

• These birds spent much of their time on the ground and although some can be kept satisfactorily at liberty, the majorities are housed in aviary surrounding.
• Grass provides a natural base for an aviary, and will be eaten by most birds in this group.
• They will often spend considerable period of time walking close to the perimeter of the aviary, it is often recommended to construct paths of sand around the end and plant up the central area. Example for quails are bobwhite quail, Gambel’s quail Japanese quail.
• Pheasant are maintained as aviary birds in their own right. They are not suitable for being kept indoor, however, unless their enclosure is usually spacious.
• Pheasants are referred to any member of the subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.
• Pheasants are characterized by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails.
• Males are usually larger than females and have longer tails. Males play no part in rearing the young.
• Pheasants typically eat seeds and some insects.

Pheasants-male

Pheasants-female

Common quail