Gamebird hunter Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Hi everyone I want to try this year breeding my own pheasant I'm totally new to breeding pheasant so any tips would be very appreciated thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1985 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Depends, are you catching hens and collecting and hatching your own eggs or are you getting in day olds? I'm not trying to put you off and I think everyone should like you give it ago, however it's not easy, how many birds you want to rear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocknee Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I tried it once many years ago and decided that it best left to the professionals especially if you have to work as well. In my experience the chicks were totally suicidal and found some really unusual ways to die I found it very time consuming and very frustrating to say the least and I still ended up buying poults as not enough of mine had survived. It may just be that I was totally useless at the job and you may have more success and I wish you the best of luck and hope it goes ok for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird hunter Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) I don't want many just like 50 and I was going to buy breeding stock around 1 cock and 3 hens if that sounds right rich1985 Ok thank you for the info cocknee Edited January 30, 2015 by Gamebird hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1985 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Why buy breeding stock? Why don't you catch up your own birds? I keep 5 hens to a cock. If you want to hatch a batch of 50 birds you will need to set more than 50 eggs, they lay 1 egg aday and u will have to set all the eggs together so they all hatch on the same day, If I was you I would buy day olds from a supplyer local to you. You will need research brooding them, feed requirements, bit fitting etc etc. if you do decide to give it ago do as much research as possible, and try and get some one that's done it before to lend a hand, and of course there's always us lot on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird hunter Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Ok great info thank you very much rich1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1985 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 If you got an incubator etc etc buy a couple dozen Texan A&M quail eggs off eBay and hatch them and see how you get on, if you can raise them you can raise pheasants, they won't feather pick or try to eat each other as much but will be good experience for you, start laying or ready to eat at 7 weeks old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Go for it. It is very rewarding knowing that the birds you are shooting are a result of ALL YOUR TIME AND EFFORT, it is very hands on and you will need to check on them as often as you can, if you can't check on them with a minimum of 6 hour intervals (more would be better), then don't do it. Last year we caught up around 12 hens and 4 cocks and had over 600 eggs for the incubator (set 100+ eggs every 10 days for 6 weeks) and then brought them up to release age at 7 weeks. It was a challenge to budget time for everything (the good lady wasn't happy that we couldn't have the spontaneous nights away we usually do), but the wood they went into has returned some good sport. Have a read of the Crown Shoot thread in sporting pictures to give you a idea of the work involved. http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/293945-crown-shoot-14-15/?fromsearch=1 You don't have to read it all but the first 8 pages should give you a idea. If you are doing it to save money, you won't unless you are going super sonic and doing over 10,000. I enjoyed it very much and when the guns compliment you or the shoot for the bird quality, you can wear your tweeds with pride. I do. Good luck in your venture and if you need any advice, feel free to PM me and if I can help, I will. All the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird hunter Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Ok thank you very much rich1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird hunter Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Shoot and be safe thank you very much I have plenty of time to collect eggs fill drinkers feeders etc what do you use for laying cover thank you very much very appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 All I did was put a pallet on bricks with wood chips underneath (a good 4 inch layer with a couple of dimples so the hens could make a nest) and covered it with a feed bag and small branches. Make sure you collect the eggs every day to stop them breaking them. Some of them laid in the open, so watch where you walk when you go into your pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird hunter Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Ok thank very much shoot to be safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1985 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Agree with shoot and be safe, it costs the same to rear 50 as it does 100 where gas or electric brooding, I would recommend trying some quail to just get some experiance under your belt, any thing you don't do correct will be a lesson learnt for when you do your pheasants. I've reared tens of thousands of pheasant and partridge and as shoot and be safe has said pm me if your stuck. All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamebird hunter Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Ok thank you very much rich1985 Ok thank you very much rich1985 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.