Pheasant chicks handed out by thousands

WILDLIFE — More than 6,400 pheasant chicks have been distributed in the past few weeks to people in the  Spokane region who vow to raise and release the birds into the wild.

The annual chick giveaway program is facilitated by the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council.

The chicks are mostly hens, the byproduct of captive rearing programs that raise pheasants for hunter release sites.