>anyone ever raise pheasants?
Yes.
> are they similar to guineas?
Not really.
I raised Goldens and Ring Necks and had a friend who also had Mongolians and Lady Amhearsts.
The Ring Necks are too wild for me. The Goldens were easy enough to get along with, kind of nervous but not scalping themselves in the overhead netting all the time like the ring necks.