Learning to raise game birds for profit
When it comes to raising quail or pheasants, making a list of what needs to be accomplished before purchasing your birds is the best idea rather than improvising as you go. This way, you have a tangible way to not only keep up with your progress, but also keep order on what still needs to be done.
The first thing on your to-do list should be the issue of cages. Whether you intend to build your own aviary or simple cages or you plan to purchase ready-made cages is something you will need to decide before proceeding with any further action.
Building your own cages allows you to take liberties with the design and sizes to accommodate what you expect to house, rather than having to buy what is available. Another option is to pay someone to build custom cages, but you should expect to spend quite a bit of money on it as someone else will be doing it by hand.
Regardless of how you get the cages, they need to be the correct size to accommodate the number of quail or pheasants you will be raising. Quail are smaller birds and take up much less space than most common wild game breeds, and like the pheasant, the male to female ratio is three or more females to one male to lessen or prevent any fighting. between the males
Because pheasants tend to be cannibalistic, it will be necessary to control the number of chicks you allow to clump together once you have placed them in the coop. No more than fifty chicks should be grouped around a heat lamp at one time.
It is recommended to buy quail and pheasant as chicks to better control the age group that will be served. Having a mostly mixed age group can cause problems not only among the residents of the coop or aviary, but also for you as you try to keep the egg calendar in order.
Pheasants tend to lay eggs every week to ten days, which sets up a cycle you must follow for harvesting. Remember to keep your birds indoors during the winter season if you intend to collect eggs year-round, as quail will not lay eggs after fall if kept outdoors.
The food you select for your birds depends on their ages and nutritional needs based on their purpose for being. Laying birds need a diet rich in protein and nutrients to help them produce excellent quality eggs, and those that are to be fried or roasted need a diet to keep their bodies low in fat and cholesterol.
Because diet is important to the ultimate health of those who eat your eggs or the birds themselves, seeking professional advice and assistance is recommended and can usually be found at your local feed store.
Breeding these game birds can be an exciting hobby or simply a means to an end. Either way, they are exotic and amazing birds and can add fun to anyone’s life.