A Golden hen should be small, also with yellow legs and no tinge of red in the crown. Immature goldens are much lighter in the overall color when compared to an Amherst, and of course, the legs will be yellow. Breeding One of the easiest pheasants to breed in aviaries, the hen will begin to lay her clutch of 8 to 12 eggs in April and if the eggs are removed, may lay until the middle of June. I have seen some Golden hens that were great mothers, and others that would careless for their eggs, so you can never really depend on the Golden hen to hatch her eggs. We hatch all our Goldens in an incubator or under bantams and incubation lasts about 22 to 23 days.
Golden chicks are easy to sex when very young.
The color of the female's iris is a dark brown, while the male's is much lighter. Although the males do not aquire their beautiful colors until their second year, first year cocks are often fertile. Up to four hens can be bred to a mature cock with good fertility. General Comments Thiss species is without a doubt, the best for the beginner. They are small and do not require a very large aviary, making suitable for those with limited space.