Some performance characteristics of Caucasian pheasants (Phasianus colchicus colchicus) raised without their natural habitat

Background: Caucasian pheasants (Phasianus colchicus colchicus) are an important subspecies within the family Phasianidae and are naturally distributed along the coastal regions of the Marmara and Black Sea in Türkiye, as well as in the Caucasus and surrounding areas. This subspecies plays a notable role in both the conservation of natural populations and commercial breeding programs. The present study aimed to evaluate egg production, egg quality characteristics and hatchability performance of Caucasian pheasants. Methods: The study was conducted at the Research and Application Unit of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selcuk University. A total of 40 females and 4 males were used as experimental material and housed in four open pens (5.0 × 5.0 × 2.5 m) at a male-to-female ratio of 1:10. Pheasants were provided an 18% CP layer diet and water ad libitum. Eggs were collected twice daily over a 140-day period, and every 15 days, 10 eggs were randomly selected for egg quality analyses. The number of investigated was 90 eggs. Results: The observed fertility rate, hatchability, and hatchability of fertile eggs were 90.00%, 65.75%, and 73.34%, respectively. Embryonic mortality was determined to be 26.00%. The egg production of Caucasian pheasants was monitored for 140 days. On average, 91 eggs per hen were obtained from the pheasants. The rate of egg yield (%) was recorded as 65%. Conclusions: The results indicated that Caucasian pheasants exhibit a high production potential in terms of egg. In conclusion, Caucasian pheasants can be raised without natural habitat such as Anatolian region. Moreover, this birds can have economical and ecological potential in similar condition areas.