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| Tuesday, 6-Sep-2005 00:00 |
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Congratulations to Mr. François Bernar, Messelbroek, Belgium
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Mr. François Bernar with grouse and bloadpheasant chicks (2005)
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I once had a dream, and that dream was keeping and breeding Bloadpheasants !
The first time I saw Bloadpheasants alive was at the Daws Halls in the UK (1976). Then, later at the Sivelle Smith Aviaries in NY, USA (1985), and at the Mountain Travel Agency in Kathmandu, Nepal (1987) and with Frau Wilmering in Germany in the early nineties.
It was at the beginning of 2002 that almost all of the remaining captive-held/bred birds in Western Europe were brought together in one spot (Messelbroek, Belgium). It was only at that time and during the years that followed that we were able to carefully study the exact needs of these little Himalayan jewels.
All my congratulations are due to my friend Mr. François Bernar, who gave the final proof "How to breed bloadpheasants and make them a thing from the past, these so-called hard to breed exotic pheasants ?".
The key to success was with nutrition and correct husbandry methods.
It is almost unbelievable that it took me almost 30 years to find out what to do to keep and breed bloadpheasants.
It now seems that the only remaining and live bloadpheasants (except from those in their native countries (Himalayan region and China)) are those which are surviving in the Benelux.
Nevertheless, it is a fantastic feeling to realize that the final answer on that question ( My Dream ?) was actually found out in Belgium, after my trip almost around the world (with having malaria, typhus, and lot's of other frustrations, which I survived !). 
However, it was worth undertaking all of the efforts. This is what makes life worth living for.   
With my best wishes and congratulations to Mr. François Bernar, Messelbroek, Belgium
Francy Hermans, Belgium
http://www.tragopan.be
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| Wednesday, 3-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Update on Bloadpheasants and their chicks in Belgium
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3 young males blaodpheasant hatch 2005
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Young males may be kept together if they do not compete for food or females. It is already at the age of 5/6 months that these little birds start fighting with one and and other for females. Therefore, we keep the males and females separate, or try to locate the pair bound males and females, and keep these separate in single pens.
François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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| Tuesday, 2-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Update on keeping and breeding Bloadpheasants in Belgium
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young male bloadpheasant hatch 2005
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an other young pair of bloadpheasant hatch 2005
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an other young pair bloadpheasant, one month older
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Young bloadpheasants can be raised together with grouse and tragopan chicks as can be seen from the photographs in the Grouse and Bloadpheasant fotopages.
One of the main mistakes aviculturists in the West have done in the past with the Bloadpheasants, was to consider and maintain them as "pheasants".
We do keep and breed from them in similar ways as grouse. However, their husbandry methods are entirely different from grouse and hence the necessary adaptations have to be made in terms of avairy design and maintenance.
Sexual dimorfism can already be seen at the age of 3/4 weeks. Juvenile bloadpheasants must be kept under close control as they may easily figth with one and an other. They are mature at the age of 12 months and can reproduce in their first year.
François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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| Tuesday, 26-Jul-2005 00:00 |
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Update on Bloadpheasants and their chicks in Belgium
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mass raising of grouse, bloads and tragopan chicks
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lateral view of one young male Bloadpheasant
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frontal view of one male bloadpheasant
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François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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| Monday, 20-Jun-2005 00:00 |
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Update on Bloadpheasants and their chicks in Belgium
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one chick bloadpheasant with one chick Cabot tragopan
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2 little chicks Bloadpheasant together with young prairie grouse
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François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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| Saturday, 11-Jun-2005 00:00 |
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Update on Bloadpheasants and their chicks in Belgium
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bloadpheasant chicks toghether with young grouse
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young black grouse and bload chicks
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little bloadpheasant chicks digging in the sand
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Young bloadpheasant are being kept together with young grouse and tragopans. Though much smaller in size and body weigth, bloadpheasant chicks grow quite well in this kind of humane environment. Bloads have been kept together with black grouse, spruce, blue, prairie chicken and several other members of the tetraonidae family.
They do also quite well with young Cabot's tragopans, which are known to be quite cannibalistic.
Bloadpheasants, though the smallest chicks, seem to be the most dominant and vivid. Young Bloadpheasants are fast growers and easy to maintain in captivity.
François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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| Friday, 20-May-2005 00:00 |
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Bloadpheasants in Belgium, their eggs and incubation
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Bloadpheasant eggs together with grouse and tragopan eggs
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Checking the weigth loss in the eggs
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7 freshly laid bloadpheasant eggs, ready for incubation
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Bloadpheasants breed in the spring in Belgium, the clutch of 5-12 eggs per hen, taking from 27/.../29 days of incubation to hatch.
The eggs, avering 50x32 mm, are extremely variable in coloring and pattern, ranging from light buff with minute spots to orange buff with large dark brown blotches.
We do incubate the Bloadpheasant eggs together with grouse and tragopan eggs in Grumbach Compact S84 forced-air incubators, which works out fine at ambient temperatures of 37.7 degrees Celsius, and at 48% relative humidity.
The eggs may also be incubated by a broody hen, and hatched in an incubator.
François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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| Thursday, 19-May-2005 00:00 |
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Update on Bloadpheasants and their chicks in Belgium
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The first 4 young bloadpheasants hatch May 2005
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Chicks are offspring from different mothers
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They have different colorlegbands to keep track of the bloadline
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We are extremely glad to inform you that several more chicks Bloadpheasant have been born after "Mr. Ithaginis cruentis" saw the first light.
All first four chicks are doing well. We expect many more to come, as several more fertile eggs are now under the broody hens and/or incubators.
Several members of Aviornis Youth have witnessed the arrival of our new Bloadpheasant chicks with their own eyes last week-end, and have seen the way how we do it.
It has not so much to do with climate, neither with disease control. We do keep their parents in open air, in aviaries which are only cleaned once each 3 or 4 months. Keeping and breeding Bloadpheasants is a matter of correct nutrition, which means similar food items as are given to grouse, which keeps their metabolism healthy and fit.
The extreme difficulty of maintaining the birds successfully in captivity has been attributed in the past, to their susceptibility to prevalent low altitude bacteria and fungi, such as Aspergillus fumigatus. Current thought, however, tends to regard previous failure as due largely to improper and inadequate dietary substitution. Bloadpheasants are primarily vegetarian, subsisting on a diet of buds, leaves, mosses, seeds and berries. Their favorite are juniper shoots. Insects are also taken in some degree.
Look at the substrate on which we keep and grow the chicks. They are not exactly sitting clean, but on mosses, grass and other similar type of vegetational matter, which is what they love to eat and digest.
Don't hesitate to contact us, if you have any further queries on the subject matter.
François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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| Wednesday, 11-May-2005 00:00 |
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update on keeping and breeding Bloadpheasants in Belgium
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1M/2F Bloadpheasant eating lots of dandellions
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lateral view of one male Bloadpheasant
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close-up of one female Bloadpheasant enjoying her dandellions
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Ladies and gentlemen,
We got "him", "Mr. Ithaginis cruentus".
Just hatched, and safe and well on the ground !
With best wishes and kind regards,
Francy Hermans & Fran9ois Bernar, Belgium
May 12, 2005
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| Monday, 10-Nov-2003 00:00 |
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Bloadpheasants at the Tragopan Pheasantry in Belgium
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male Bloadpheasant in Belgium
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close-up of male Bloadpheasant in Belgium
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Bloadpheasant need lot's of crude fiber in their diet
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François Bernar, Belgium
http://grouse.fotopic.net
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