More On The Phicken/Cheasant

More On The Phicken/Cheasant LIVESTOCK Poultry 32-5-5 Our story in the last issue on the "Mystery Of The Funny Looking Chicken" sparked a bit of a ruckus. The story involved a reader who claimed to have photographed a bird that was a cross between a pheasant and a chicken û a highly unlikely event, especially given that the birds have different incubation periods. Here's a sampling of reader responses we received, mostly by email: Jamison: "The bird in the photo you published, as any chicken fancier worth their salt could tell you, is a Golden Sebright. I am very skeptical about the possibility of a chicken/pheasant hybrid." (Editor's note: At least 15 readers agreed with Jamison that the bird shown was a Golden Sebright.) Sandy Beaty, Kansas: "I have been breeding and raising domesticated birds for 10 years. I think the bird you showed was a Golden Laced Wyandotte. However, I think chicken-pheasant hybrids are possible but they would almost always be sterile." Dan Sabo: "Your bird is a cross between a Rhode Island Red rooster and a Golden Polish hen." Greg Schiebout: "It's a Hamburg chicken. It flies like a pheasant, so maybe that's where the confusion started." Carolyn Barrett (castlholo@gmail.com): "I saw your article about the æcheasant' and wanted to let you know that I have some birds that are the result of a cross between a chicken and a pheasant. My birds are various colors. Some are black and look like starlings when they are little. I bought the hatching eggs from an Arkansas breeder."

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