Im going to start raising some birds to release this year. I already know I won' t be restocking the population given all the predators we have here, but its a project I am looking forward to do with my aging parents for the experience and fun. Does anyone else have any experience with that? Any recommendations on brooding house and fly pen build out, plantings for the fly pen, feed used for the birds, etc?
Pheasants
- Thread starter r49740
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chummer
5 year old buck +
I grew up on the Blue Spruce Pheasant Farm. We were in business from around 1989-1993. We had two enclosures. One was a shed turned into a chick house with a small outside enclosure. After they got too big for that they went into the big fenced enclosure. We just used standard 5‘ welded wire with a net top. The fly pen was probably 30’ by 90’. It was built to whatever size the top netting comes, that is the most important part. Everything needs to be Coon proof. The fly pen was built in a hayfield and we just left it like that. You also have to put the blinders on them or they will kill each other. We would sell them to dog clubs and what ever was left went to the butcher or released. It was pretty cool, we always had pheasants around. We eventually switched from pheasants to ducks. The clubs preferred ducks and they were easier, although dirtier to raise. If you have any specific questions I will probably remember or I can ask my old man. He is the bird whisperer.
I don't have any experience so itll be a learning experience. At what point or age do you put the blinders on? If releasing them, will that be another hurdle for them in the wild? You recall what you used to feed them? How many at a time should we be looking to do? Appreciate any and all help.
chummer
5 year old buck +
I remember the blinders going on just as they were getting their feathers. I think we took them off if we released them. They go on and off pretty easy. My dad raised pigeons too so I don’t know what we fed them but it would have been corn, wheat, or peas. Not sure what got what. We used to get them shipped to the post office as day old chicks. I think the first year we were just doing it to release them and we got like 25. Once we had the fly coop I think we got 100 at a time
