Going to give raiseing Pheasants a try

[bounce]

Today my former stepson jeff & I set up a pen for raising pheasants.....at least we hope? Jeff has a gamewarden comeing to see are setup this friday. If he gives us the goahead and we think he will, on july 15th we will get 100 two day old pheasants in straight run. Jeff says we feed them for 6 weeks and then open the door!! If this works I bet I will see more of DD this fall?

[deputydon]

Jun 18, 2008 0:08:40 GMT -5 bounce said:

Today my former stepson jeff & I set up a pen for raising pheasants.....at least we hope? Jeff has a gamewarden comeing to see are setup this friday. If he gives us the goahead and we think he will, on july 15th we will get 100 two day old pheasants in straight run. Jeff says we feed them for 6 weeks and then open the door!! If this works I bet I will see more of DD this fall?

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Darn straight !!! ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Purebred Redneck]

So what's the plan?

All males and keep them stocked like that every year
(just think of the hunting) ;D

or

A mix and try to get the numbers up naturally over time

[bounce]

Straight run means we get what is hatched, so hope I can tell whats male or female by the time we turn them out!! If it works well it will not be hard to keep doing it if one wants too in years to come? if a lot of hens and they survive good may be no need? one can hope anyway. the ones we are geting is Swansons very last hatch of the year for them. The plan for DD ? I haven't decided, I have a neighbor that lets everyone hunt one time and they can have one bird, just might work for DD too?........smiles. No dought some of my birds may travel to the neighbors so more than one year is likely if this works as good as we hope? we are hopeing preditors will come around theise birds at night and make them more difficult prey for them when they are relased, thats the hope anyway??

[bounce]

Jeff learned a while back that their is a machine that cost $2000.00 that heats, waters, & feeds 50 birds and releases them at the right time. All you do is set it out in the feild and let them adapt to preditors and they say they work well. Well we are trying to do this to as best we can and keep the $2000.00 and do 100 birds at once.

[bounce]

I went to a sale this morning and wasen't hear when Jeff & the game warden came to inspect my Pheasant quarters. So I just called jeff to see how things went? We passed with flying colors jeff said and everything is just fine as we have it, so it looks like we are in the pheasant raiseing busness this summer. I asked Jeff again [as I forgot] what the 2day old birds cost and it's $85 for the 100. So this expement is not going to put us out to bad at all plus Jeff is paying all expences anyway.....smiles And I got a nice Cherry picker for my shop at the sale for the same price as the Pheasants, all & all a good day!!

[bounce]

Well Jeff brought out the baby pheasants this evening, said they gave us 5 extras so should have 105 birds tonight, hope we can keep them all alive till they are releast in about 6 weeks? Near as I could tell they all seemed healty. Jeff was woried about some but I told him they were just trying to sleep, after a while he said your right they are trying to sleep must be tired. I ponted out the fact that it was allso geting dark LOL. Guess we do need a red heat lamp insead of are white one but they are going to have to wait till we can get one tomarow.

[bounce]

Had a few get out this morning, Not sure were they had goten out but sealed three cracks that seemed to be two small to me but maybe weren't. Caught 7 or so out of the pen and as yet haven't found any geting out again. All look healthy & happy.

[Purebred Redneck]

You got them at a county livestock auction or mail order?


I see in your first post, they are two day old birds.
How old are the wild "yearlings" now and come November do you know what the size difference would be?

I would think you'd be able to tell the difference so it would be a good way to measure if your idea is working.

[jimh]

bounce this post will be an interesting/educational read over the next few weeks. how abouts some pics of the set up?

[bounce]

Red They came from the Pheasant hunting ranch near Niobrara. Seems as jeff said they sell over 400,000 a year? I may have that wrong but it's a lot. mostly to Iowa & Nebraska. This is the last for the year I think they start in april. So are birds will be very young this hunting seasion, Rosters may be just or barley changeing colors by then? DD do you want to take pictures to post? sooner the better if you do as little as posible human interventen is the plan hear allso but let preaditors around them.

[bounce]

Jeff was wondering this morning if next year we could do two batches by geting some at april and turn them out for the middle july new bunch?

[deputydon]

Bounce I can try to get over there tomorrow afternoon....

[bounce]

Will be hear as far as I know now DD.

[deputydon]

I tryed to call you around 1-1:30 but you didn't answer so I figure you must be gone............