Where do pheasants get water during a frozen draught?

cnggack

cnggack

Active member
The last two months we have had periods of time when it was to cold for ponds to thaw and the creeks are dried up and most mornings there was no frost. Now that the snow finaally came I drove around yesterday and today and checked two at last years feeding stations and not even one track in the snow. Is it possible to loose birds from lack of moisture. I did see two birds in one spot and put out corn and a camera there.
 
Well I have a little insite on this from the pen birds. First there is frost most days and they do allot of licking that, it lasts quite a while on cold days. Then the frozen pans of water, they scratch the hell out of it making flakes, then they just peck and eat that. I have now seen the same thing on frozen slough edges. But 90% of the sloughs around will also have a spring area things can drink. And they are good at finding that. They can scratch up a drink from ice.:thumbsup:
 
FCSpringer is right, there are numerous ways for wild pheasant to obtain moisture in the winter time, I am sure you did not go five days without frost. Wild pheasants seldom die of from the lack of moisture.

The demise of your pheasants would not have come from the lack of moisture.

The prime culprit in my book that can possibly lead to a reduction in pheasant photos and numbers, is that picture of that fat healthy coyote taken (01-18-2012). That coyote or other predators would be my prime suspect. "He did it."
Just joking.
 
most of the answers listed above answer the question, in addition their is some moisture in freezed dried seeds, and berries. Secondly, notice when you are around a frozen pond where the reeds push thru the ice, even in real cold days there will be a "melt" around the reed stem, due to both underwater springs , and the sun working the darker colored reed resulting in melting.
 
Yup, pheasants are very good at getting enough water. there are many good pheasant hunting areas in the west that are miles from any water in a dry climate. Pheasants eat lots of green stuff even in the Winter, like grass leaves, alfalfa, clover etc. Probably + 90 percent water. Waste grain is also high moisture. Frost and dew are also a reliable source most of the time.
 
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