Growth and development of young game pheasants (<i>Phasianus colchicus</i>)

Abstract

Fifty game pheasants were kept to 8 weeks in confinement housing and later maintained outdoors in a partially roofed aviary. Pheasants received commercial feed mixtures ad libitum. Body weight and dimensions were determined every 4 weeks. Ten pheasants were selected for slaughter at the end of 18 and 20 weeks each. After slaughter, their heads, shanks, feathers, blood, inedible viscera and major internal organs were weighed and digestive tract separated and measured. The carcasses were dissected. Higher body weights and daily gains were found in males than in females on all test days during rearing to 20 weeks of age. Compared to females, males had significantly longer keel from 4 weeks, longer lower thighs and shanks from 8 weeks, and longer trunk with and without neck and greater chest circumference from 12 weeks of age. Older pheasants had a significantly lower proportion of feathers and blood, and higher content of inedible viscera, with significantly relatively shorter (cm 100 g b.w. ) small intestine, caecum and rectum in males than in females. With advancing age, there was a decrease in the proportion of gizzard (significant) and liver, and in males a significant increase in the proportion of testicles. Keywords

The effect of feed additives in pheasants fattening: A review

“…The length of the fattening period also differs in the literature. Kokoszynski et al (2011) report 16-20 weeks, and the carcass yield between 69.7 and 73.7%, and similar conclusions were also reached by Adamski and Kuzniacka (2006). However, Sarica et al (1999) used a shorter fattening period of 13, 14 and 15 weeks with a slaughter yield of 74.19%, 73.13% and 74.3%, respectively.…”

Body conformation and morphometry of some internal organs of Pharaoh quail of different ages

“…The difference between the arithmetic means of lower thigh length in quail of different ages was not significant. In game pheasants, Kokoszyński et al (2011) showed lower thigh length to increase up to 12 weeks of rearing, from 7.4 cm to 13.4 cm in males and from 7.2 cm to 12.1 cm in females. Shank length (Table 1) in the quail analysed at 35 and 45 days was the same (3.7 cm).…”

“…The length of trunk with neck and the length of trunk were lower in 35-day-old compared to 45-day-old birds, with significant differences in the mean values of these traits (P≤0.05). A study with game pheasants (Kokoszyński et al, 2011) showed the length of trunk with neck to increase between 4 and 20 weeks of age, from 15.3 cm to 29.6 cm in males and from 15.0 cm to 26.9 cm in females.…”

“…Meanwhile, rectum length was the same in 35-and 45-dayold birds (5.7 cm). When analysing the growth and development of young game pheasants, Kokoszyński et al (2011) found that birds had longer caecum and rectum at 20 compared to 18 weeks of age. The analysis of results for the percentage of individual segments of the digestive tract in the Pharaoh quail of different ages (Table 4) showed that percentage of small intestine in the analysed birds was similar on both dates.…”

Changes in selected haematological and biochemical parameters in debeaked pheasant hens during the laying period

“…Increasing numbers of pheasants are also raised commercially to be slaughtered for meat (19,22). Captive-reared pheasants are frequently kept in large flocks in aviaries (13) or, particularly during the laying period, in cage systems (15,58,61).…”