Pheasant Project

    In a cooperative effort between the biology classes and the animal science program, Countryside Academy has constructed a new and improved pen to house ring neck pheasants. Raised to maturity, the birds are released at select sites both on school property and around the county.
    The summer of 2007 produced our fourth flock and as stated above, these birds are the first in our new pen which has been positioned at the boundary between the hayfield and the surrounding woods. We are confident that this improved location will better provide an environment of protection as the birds grow.
    Countryside purchases birds in the spring or early summer as day old chicks and cares for them until they are approximately five months old. Maintaining adequate temperatures, preventing aggression between crowded chicks, and providing food and water are some of the challenges of raising chicks at an early stage. When they are transferred to the outside pen we cope with determined predators, and weather extremes that provide a continual lesson about the severity of life in the middle of a food chain.