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A pheasant is considered fully mature once the tail hardens completely. Most birds will be fully mature at 20-22 weeks. It will vary by bird, just like humans mature at different rates. Breed of bird will make a bit of a difference. Some may be fully hardened at 24 weeks, you really have to pull tails to find out. Dead birds are the prefered tails to pull, obviously. If the tip of the feather (the part that was in the bird) has no blood, that bird is done growing. If they have just a little blood, very little, they are probably done growing and just finishing hardening. But the more blood, the more growth they have in them. Hardened tails are easier to pull out than unfinished tails. Once hardened, they can gain a little muscle and fat, which a lot of customers like to see, but too much fat and the bird will lose its willingness and ability to fly completely. Diet and conditions will also help dictate the age a bird is mature at. Remember to pull more than one tail to determine if a flock has stopped growing. Your set up may result in different results than others, so know what to expect at your facility.

Measure. If you know what your expecting in tail length, measure and you'll know when they are at least close to done growing. Tail lengths will vary by breed at full maturity. But if you know what to expect you can simply measure. If you want 100% guaranteed hardened tails you will be waiting a little longer. Once tails start to harden they generally have very little growth after that in my experience. So if the majority of your birds being 100% mature with the minority being 90-95% done growing, then it is pretty easy to predict.