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Hi there - wondered if you could give me some advice. I have three male pheasants who live in and around my back garden. They are wild and they race or fly off squawking madly if I ever venture too near. Today one of these pheasants has spent the day right bang up close to the cottage. He's been on the terrace (unheard of) up by the back door (never before done this) and in the front garden and driveway. His feathers are ruffled on his back and wings and he is allowing me to get far closer than he ever normally would. One of his three chums keeps coming over to take a look at him but then races off. He is still eating but interspersed with periods of sitting in the garden all fluffed up.

I haven't seen him fly today and I wonder if he's either sick or been chomped by a fox and survived but has an injury somewhere. He's still bright eyed but his 'run' is more an animated walk than the usual energetic road-runner effort he normally puts up and I can get as close as six inches before he tries to get away (I've been letting him get away - I don't want to stress him out).

Is there anything I can do to help him? Any advice gratefully received as I am rather fond of my three chaps!!

Thank you

Suzie

Hi there - quick update on this. The pheasant is still going and is increasingly tame and tolerant of me. Having got a lot closer now (he will eat seeds out of my hand) I think his feathers have actually been brutally pecked out of his skin by another pheasant - and I think I've even seen him doing it! There are clumps of feathers all over the garden and the poor chap has been subjected to more than one attack as he is getting more bald on the back of his head, neck and back as the days go on.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can help him? Also wondered if these feathers will grow back and if they will, how long it might take.

He still seems otherwise healthy and is bright eyed, grooming his remaining feathers and, other than his strange tolerance of me, is busy eating heartily and trotting around the place in usual pheasant fashion. He is getting cold though and I've noticed that he does retreat to patches of the garden where he sits with his remaining feathers all fluffed up.

I've heard of some blue liquid that can be put on to deter attacking birds who do this horrid feather pulling thing. Does it work on pheasants and if it does, will it affect him and his life in the wild? He does have lady pheasants (well, at least one) and I don't want him to be ostracised because he smells funny and is bright blue!

Any advice would be welcomed.

Thanks.