Pheasant walking funny

[fancyfowl4ever]

Hi All,

I bought a lone Blackneck Male at an auction on easter weekend. After deworming/debugging him I released him in his new home and noticed he staggered like drunk. At the time I though dehydration because his box only had a food cup and no water cup and he was in there for about 3 days. Put some electrolytes in his water and thought the issue solved, well it somewhat was...... he still stumbles and staggers just not to the extreme degree has he did a week ago. He walks straight and when he stops he has to sidestep a bit, or you see him gradually leaning over one way too far when he moves until he catches himself. His balance seems just off.

Any other Ideas what could be the cause?
He is alert and eats well, got a good weight and acts just like any other pheasant apart from the stagger.
Never had a Pheasant act like this before so he's got me a bit stumped.

Thanks in advance,
Anna

 

[Tony K T]

It could be just cramped up from 3 days in a box.Who would leave a bird in a box for 3 days?That is just plain ignorant.Or maybe he has been that way from birth.Did you ask the seller any ?'s about him?That is one of the problems when you by at auction,you never know what you get.I'm sure there was no mention of defects in the bird when they auctioned him off.
I would stay away from auctions and find yourself some reputable breeders and stick with them.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

With this auction you have to check in like 2 days ahead of time to get it auctioned off during the day and not at 2 am....... We got there 2 days ahead too so we get in the line up. I know it sucks, line up thursday at noon(with 6-7 hr driving time to get there so the birds are boxed on wednesday night) so they go thru sometime saturday afternoon.
I know 95% of the breeders that bring their pheasants to this auction and all great guys, but I've never seen a blackneck here in canada so I thought why the hell not buy it. No Idea where I will get a hen for him since even our ornamental breeder association doesn't have anyone on file with the blacknecks.
None of the other breeders were able to tell me who the seller was(which is weird they know like EVERYONE). This auction is twice yearly and only the exotics so everyone knows everyone else.

I wouldn't dare buy a chicken at this auction, but the pheasant/peafowl/ornamental waterfowl people are a very tight group and all real good breeders.

 

[chickenzoo]

Could he perhaps have bumble foot on one side and it is sore to keep weight on it? Could have also knocked himself in the head as pheasants often do when caged for any length of time and afraid. Perhaps some vitamins in his water and some vitamin E gel cap squeezed into his water?.

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

His feet are fine and he is not limping. I checked him over head to toe when I first released him out of his box and he moved so strange.
He kinda reminds me of when I had the viral infection of my inner ear nerves. You are good and all of a sudden while you move(actually even when just standing or sitting too) the world goes kinda wonky and sideways and you wonder why you all of a sudden hit the ground and can't even recall falling and even tho you lay there and the world is still spinning..... unpleasant feeling for sure(8 weeks of total bedridden motion-sick mess actually). Can pheasants get such a thing?
He has been on vitamin water since I got him home together with fruits and greens(which he really seems to enjoy). He seems quite calm and inquisitive for a common pheasant, but the blacknecks maybe calmer then any of their ringnecked and mutant cousins?
Maybe he use to be a freak and hit his head often enough he has some sort of brain damage?

Anyhow he has started to crow and display which I am taking as a good sign and found him a girlfriend, not a blackneck but a Jumbo with odd colouration.... just so he isn't so alone. Will be picking her up tomorrow.

Also I found out he had been flown in with a bunch of chickens and crossbreed GoldXAm pheasants from the east coast just for this auction(why is beyond me, this auction isn't that big of a deal, but that may also mean he has been stuck in that box even longer then 3 days).

 

[Tony K T]

I would be very careful in putting the hen in with him.Even though he has only been there a few days,in his mind that is his cage and he will defend it even against a hen that is cutting in on his territory.If he is a ringneck,2 or 3 hens would be better,so when he breeds them he will not be pounding on 1 hen.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[kartking22]

My thoughts on this is that your roo was a submissive bird in the flock and was beat up before they took him to the auction. I had a rooster like this too this spring. The dominant roosters basically pecked him drunk walking. The sellers probably sold him because of this fact and dumped him off before he actually died. You were just the lucky person that saved him from a stew pot. Basically, this is all he is worth. My rooster hid in a corner away from everyone else and eventually died. Sorry to hear about your rooster but in my experience, they don't get better.

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

Well my friend ended up selling me 3 hens for him, 2 regular jumbos and 1 odd bronze coloured jumbo. Before I put the girls in I completely rearranged the inside of the pen and put in tons of branches etc. So its not as familiar to him anymore(always worked before when I introduced new birds to my ringnecks) and threw the 3 gals in there. He is a very happy boy now. Dancing and clucking around the girls, even talks to me now when I walk by his pen.
I think he will be alright.

 

[chickenzoo]

Good to hear he is doing better and now has some friends. (I've been lucky to never had trouble with my Mel cocks being aggressive to the gals, but the gals sure can be mean to each other...little trouble makers, LOL)

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

Quote:
Oh I know, the hens are bigger trouble then the cocks sometimes! My first year raising ringnecks I started with 2 juvenile quads of Chinese and the males were fine but there was 1 dominant hen that killed off ALL the other hens. First I thought its the males over doing it and took them out but the killing continued until I caught her in the act one day.......