A Surprise "Bouquet"

Greetings,

This fancy chick is our new Ring-necked Pheasant!

One of our Employees is also a conservation volunteer.  After he saw the success of our chicken clutch and the delight it brought to our sisters.  He offered us a handful of eggs to incubate and hatch.

The Pheasant eggs were just over half the size of our chicken eggs, but needed to incubate for 24-29 days--a whole week longer.  After they hatched, the fluffy little "bouquet" of one chick will remain warm and safe in the monastery activity room for all to enjoy.  After a few weeks, our conservation volunteer will take the chick to finish growing for another five weeks in a netted conservation area.


Finally, this handsome little face will be released into the wilds of South Dakota.  The Ring-necked Pheasant is important to our rural heritage as it is the state bird of South Dakota.  It is also an important part of the rural tourism in drawing hunters from in and out of state to the smaller towns and cities of our state.  Here's hoping and praying that it flies far and fast into a cozy little corner of the country.

Blessings,