Male Melanistic Mutant Pheasants are entirely dark with a glossy green and blue sheen and weighs around 3.5 lbs. at maturity. Females weigh about a pound less than the males and are greenish-black and lay small brown eggs. Females can lay an egg a day — and about 30-40 eggs per season — but require 12-14 hours of light to produce an egg. Baby Melanistic Mutant Pheasant chicks are black with blonde spots or stripes on their necks. Melanistic Mutant Pheasants mature at about 16-18 weeks. When raising flocks of these birds, keep a ration of 1 male to 5 females.

Their ideal habitat is primarily crop fields such as corn, soybean, or small grains but should also include some wetlands, grassland, woodland or brushy thickets. When holding in a pen or aviary, be careful not to crowd pheasants.