Terms To Know:
Poult: A young turkey.
Snood: A flap of skin hanging over the beak of a turkey.
Caruncle: A brightly colored throat tissue on a turkey.
Wattle: A flap of skin directly under the chin of a turkey.
Tom: Male turkey.
Hen: Female turkey.
The Modern Turkey
The modern turkey has undergone tremendous change due to the commercial turkey industry. Unlike their wild brethren, domesticated turkeys are much heavier and have a greater muscle mass. Through selective breeding, commercial strains of turkeys have massive muscles on a normal-sized frame. Their muscles have become so massive that most commercial strains can no longer breed naturally. The tom is unable to perform the act of mating with the hen, so eggs remain unfertile. Most commercial breed hens are mated through artificial insemination. The majority of commercial growers raise the variety of turkey called the Broad Breasted White. This is not an official breed; rather, it is a commercial variety of the Bronze turkey breed. There are other breeds that are not so highly bred, which you may find suitable for your small-scale farm. These will be discussed in the breed section of this chapter so you can find the turkey breed most suitable for your small-scale farm.
Turkeys are naturally inquisitive and friendly birds, although when mature, they can be a bit territorial and terrorize pets and small children if they are not trained to respect humans. Grabbing the turkey and pinning it to the ground can accomplish this, but be careful not to let them spur you in the process. Turkeys have some unique body parts. The caruncle is a brightly colored growth on the throat. The snood is the flap of skin that hangs over the beak. The wattle is a flap of skin right under the turkey’s chin. The caruncle, snood, and wattle turn red when the turkey is feeling agitated or taking part in courtship.
One further note on turkeys: They should not be raised with chickens, as chickens can carry the organism responsible for the disease blackhead, which is further discussed in this chapter. Blackhead does not affect chickens, but it is a highly fatal disease in turkeys.
Guineas
The domesticated guinea fowl is descended from wild guinea fowl from Africa, specifically the country of Guinea. They have been domesticated for centuries and were used as a prize food source by the ancient Greeks and Romans. In addition to their meat, guineas are useful farm birds. They are territorial and emit loud, harsh calls if they sense danger or if someone new comes onto the property. Many people keep guineas to keep the insect and tick populations down, although these birds will also seek and destroy small reptiles and snakes. They will roam through gardens, leaving flowers and vegetables alone, in their quest to eat insects and weed seeds. During the night, they should be penned, as owl, hawks, and other predators will attack guineas.
Guineas are brooded and fed similar to turkeys up until they are around 6 weeks old. After that age, they can be allowed access to an outside run. Unlike turkeys, they can be kept with chickens and fed the same feed as chickens. If the pen is uncovered, the guineas will eventually fly out. Keeping food in the pen will entice them to return to roost at night so they can be shut inside. If you do not want your guineas to roam to protect them from predators, newly hatched keets can be pinioned (the last joint of the wing is clipped off) to permanently ground them. Older birds can have their flight feathers clipped (a painless process) to keep them grounded. Of course, you can also keep the top covered so they cannot escape by flying.
Guinea hens will try to lay their eggs in a secluded spot outside their pens. These nests can be difficult to find, but her mate will frequently hang around the hidden nest. Keep your hens in the pen if you want to collect the eggs or if you want her to hatch out the keets. Guinea eggs can be eaten just like chicken eggs. They are much larger, though, so recipes will need to be adjusted. One guinea egg equals approximately two chicken eggs.
If you plan to breed your guineas, one male can mate with five to six females. However, in the wild, they do prefer to mate with only one female because they are more secluded and selective. Guineas used for breeding should be penned. The pen should be covered or their wings should be clipped, to keep the hens from making nests in grassy areas. Guinea hens are not the best mothers and will lay their nests where predators can find the eggs or newly hatched keets. They will also lead their keets through wet grass. This will cause the keets to become wet and chilled, and they will die from exposure.
Turkey Breeds
The commercial varieties of the Broad Breasted White can be purchased from turkey hatcheries. These birds, if they have a constant source of feed, can grow to market weight of more than 30 pounds in 18 weeks. There are other breeds that are grouped under the term heritage breeds, which will take longer to grow to market weight, about 24 to 30 weeks. The heritage breeds are those turkeys that have been bred and raised for many decades. Many heritage breeds are in danger of extinction, as their total population numbers are low. Some people prefer these breeds for the table, claiming they have a better taste than the commercial varieties.
Beltsville Small White: This is a small, white turkey breed. Its white feathering means there are fewer visible pinfeathers than in the colored turkey breeds, and its smaller frame is popular with those consumers wanting a smaller framed table bird. Adult males average 23 pounds, and adult females average 13 pounds.
Black: This breed has greenish-black feathers. It is rare in North America, but it is bred in Europe, where it is considered to be a great table meat bird. Both Spain and England claim its development. Adult males commonly weigh 27 pounds, while an adult female weighs in at 18 pounds.
Blue Slate: This turkey has an ashy blue color, which is sometime splashed with black dots. Adult males weigh 30 pounds, and adult females weigh 18 pounds. This breed is listed as critical for extinction.
Bourbon Red: As its name suggests, this handsome bird has rich red feathers with wing and tail fans tipped with white. Adult males weigh 33 pounds and adult females weigh 18 pounds. It was developed in Kentucky and was an important commercial turkey in the 1930s and 1940s.
Bronze: The broad-breasted Bronze variety has massive breast muscles and can be either bronze or white. There is an unimproved variety, but it is rarely bred. Adult males weigh 36 pounds, and adult females weigh 20 pounds.
Narragansett: This turkey has gray, tan, black, and white feathers in a similar pattern to the Bronze turkey. It was developed in the Eastern United States and named for the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. Adult males weigh between 22 and 28 pounds, while hens weigh 12–16 pounds.
Royal Palm: Unlike most turkey breeds, the Royal Palm turkey was bred more for its unique look than for its meat production. It primarily has white feathers, with black feathers stippling the breast and covering a wide swath along the base of the tail. The tail feathers have a wide band of black a few inches from the tail tips. An adult male averages 22 pounds, and an adult female averages 12 pounds.
White Holland: As the name suggests, this is a white-feathered turkey. It is a large bird, with adult males weighing 25 pounds and adult females weighing 16 pounds. It was an important commercial bird in the early 1900s, but its numbers have declined to the point that it is threatened with extinction today.
Guinea Breeds
Guineas are very handsome fowl. They have a helmet, which is a bony ridge on the head, and they have small wattles. They weigh about 3 ½ pounds when full-grown. Their eggs are small and dark. Adult males are distinguished from adult females by the larger helmet and wattles of the males and the male’s coarser head. A male guinea will also screech louder than females. There are three varieties of guineas based on feather color:
Pearl: This variety has purple-gray feathers with small, white dots (pearls).
White: As its name suggests, the White guinea has pure white plumage.
Lavender: The Lavender guinea has lighter gray/purple feathers than the Pearl variety. It also is splashed with small, white dots.
Housing
Poults and keets will need to be confined and carefully monitored to decrease losses during their early life. Like other domesticated poultry, the young can suffer from cold weather, disease, and lack of water or food intake. The first few weeks — until they are fully feathered out — are the most critical in the life of poults and keets.
Confinement
You will need to allow 20 square feet per mature bird when you plan for turkey housing needs. Guineas will need half this amount if you plan to keep them confined. Part of this housing could consist of an outside run — a fenced-in area that allows the birds to have access to fresh air and sunlight. Even if you provide an outdoor run for your birds, the building will need to be ventilated. This can be as simple as having a few windows that can be propped open to an exhaust fan installed in the wall. Ammonia fumes from manure can build up if the bedding is not cleaned frequently. This can lead to losses due to respiratory distress and infection.
Young turkeys and keets need to stay dry and warm. This can be accomplished by using a layer of wood shavings, chopped straw, or sawdust on the floor for bedding. Turkeys are very curious and might peck at the bedding instead of their feed the first few days. Some producers will cover the bedding with cloth or paper to keep the poults from eating the litter. This can be removed in a few days when you are certain all the young turkeys are eating the feed provided and are more interested in eating the feed than tasting the bedding.
A corral, made from 18-inch cardboard or straw bales, can be used to confine the poults or keets in the feeding and drinking area for the first few days. It is also a useful strategy to keep the birds near the heat source. A heat lamp with a 250-watt light bulb will be sufficient. It should be hung so the bottom of the bulb is about a foot above the young birds’ heads, adjusting as needed if the birds huddle under the light by lowering the heat lamp or if they stay away from the bulb by raising heat lamp.
Place plenty of feeders and waterers down for the new poults and keets — two each for every ten poults or 25 keets should be sufficient. Observe the birds closely the first day or two to make sure they find the food and water. Feed a commercial starter mix to the birds to ensure they get all the nutrients they need. You can purchase turkey starter mix from a feed store or grain elevator. After the birds are eating well, the feeders should be placed on bricks or hung up to keep the birds from spilling the feed onto the floor. Raise the feeders enough so that the bird’s heads are higher than their rears when feeding. One-gallon waterers are good for starting the young poults, but you will soon find you will need larger waterers to satisfy these fast-growing, large birds’ thirst.
Turkeys on range
Turkeys, particularly the heritage breeds, do well when fed on pasture. To start, plan on stocking 100 birds for each acre of land. The best forages to plant for a turkey pasture are legumes, like alfalfa or clovers, and grasses like Timothy grass, orchard grass, or rye grass. The area you plan to raise your turkeys in should be fenced in with woven wire, with openings small enough so the young turkeys cannot escape. A shelter large enough to house all the turkeys at once so they do not crowd should also be provided in case of poor weather.
Feeders should be provided and scattered throughout the field so turkeys do not crowd around them and destroy the surrounding pasture. They should also be covered to prevent rain from damaging the feed and raised from the ground so they are level with the turkey’s backs. You should plan to allow 6 inches of feeder space per bird. Trough-type feeders are good for the range because turkeys can access each side. Even if you only have a few birds, you should have at least two feeders available to prevent one turkey from bullying weaker ones away from the feed. Feed will need to be provided in order for your turkeys to properly grow. Do not feed turkeys chicken feed because they have different vitamin and mineral requirements than chickens. If you cannot find turkey feed in your area, you can substitute game bird food. Food should be available to the turkeys on a free choice basis to allow your turkeys to grow as quickly as their genetic makeup permits.
Waterers should also be scattered throughout the pasture area. These should be cleaned frequently with a bleach solution or a disinfectant. Fresh water needs to be available at all times. Five adult turkeys will drink 1 gallon of water daily, so plan the number of waterers accordingly. During warmer weather the turkeys will drink more, so check the water supply twice daily to make sure they do not run out.
Partridge, Pheasants, and Quail
These three species of bird can be a valuable niche product, provided a marketing plan is carefully thought-out prior to stepping into the game bird market. Most of these birds will be sold directly to local consumers or hunting preserves. Quails, partridge, and pheasants are raised for release during the hunting season, although you should contact your local Department of Fish and Wildlife prior to release of birds into the wild. They are also raised for showing at exhibitions.
The Chukar partridge is native to Eurasia. This beautiful bird has orange-red legs, feet, and bill, with grayish feathers. It also has a black band across the forehead, around the eyes, and down the neck. They are fairly calm birds and are easy to raise for hunting release or meat.
The Chinese Ring-necked pheasant is a beautiful bird imported into North America as a game bird. It quickly established a large population in the wild. Roosters are very showy, with metallic red, brown, and green body feathers and metallic blue, green and black head feathers. A white ring of feathers encircles the neck. Hens are a dull brown color. The Mongolian pheasant is larger than the Chinese pheasant and has an incomplete neck ring. The Mongolian pheasant has more meat than the Chinese and is often raised as a table-meat bird.
Bobwhite quail are native to the eastern part of North America, while the Japanese quail has been domesticated in Japan for thousands of years. It reaches sexual maturity very early, at 6 weeks of age, and lays heavy eggs, considering its size. Bobwhites are very well-adapted to being raised for meat and egg production.
Incubating eggs
|
Species |
Days of Incubation |
|
Chukar partridge |
23–24 |
|
Hungarian partridge |
24–25 |
|
Bobwhite quail |
23–24 |
|
Japanese quail |
17–18 |
|
Chinese Ring-necked pheasant |
23–24 |
|
Mongolian Ring-necked pheasant |
24–25 |
Game bird eggs can be purchased from breeders and incubated much like chicken eggs. Incubated eggs should be clean, free from cracks, and not abnormally shaped. The incubator should be cleaned and disinfected. It should be set at the desired temperature and humidity, and should run 24 hours prior to placing the eggs inside. Always read the instructions that come with your particular brand of incubator, especially on how to ventilate the incubator, as well as to read temperature and humidity levels. The eggs should be turned at least three times daily. Marking the eggs with a permanent marker will help you remember which sides of the eggs were last turned. When the chicks start to hatch, the incubator temperature should be decreased. Remove chicks from the incubator when 95 percent of the hatched chicks are dry.
|
Incubator Type |
Incubation Temperature* |
Humidity |
Hatch Temperature* |
|
Still air |
102°–103°F |
60 percent |
100°–101°F |
|
Fan |
99.5°–100°F |
60 percent |
98.5°F |
*Temperature will vary based on location. Figures are an estimate.
Housing
After the young are removed from the incubator they should go into the prepared brooding pen. Much like other brooding pens it should be set up prior to placing them into the pen. You will need a heat and light source; a heat lamp will provide both of these necessities. If your brooding pen is a rectangular or square shape, the corners should be rounded with cardboard or wire to prevent the chicks from crowding and smothering each other. All equipment used in the brooder should be disinfected, either with bleach water (1 teaspoon per gallon) or with a commercial disinfecting solution. Allow the equipment to dry thoroughly before use. Three to four inches of clean bedding should be placed on the pen floor. Wood shavings, rice or peanut hulls, ground corncobs, or chopped straw make acceptable bedding. The tops of an open pen should be covered with chicken wire or mesh to keep predators out and, when the birds feather out, to keep them inside.
The heat source should be lowered so it is 2 inches over the young. This will need to be carefully monitored the first day. If they are scattered away from the heat source, raise it an inch or two. If they are huddled beneath the heat source, it should be slightly lowered. Ideally, the temperature under the heat source should be 95°F. This temperature should be maintained for the first week, then the heat can be lowered 5°F each week until it is 70°F. The first few days you may want to confine the chicks close to the heat source with a small cardboard or wire ring to prevent them from wandering into the cooler parts of the brooding pen. A light should be on continuously during the first week; starting the second week, the light can be left on for 12 hours a day until the chicks are ready to be removed from the brooder. If the pen starts to smell of urine, or if there are any wet or excessively dirty spots, the bedding should be removed and refreshed with clean litter.
When the birds are fully feathered (around 6 weeks of age), they can be moved to growing cages or a flight pen. Partridge and quail can be kept in inside pens if being raised for food, but if they are raised for hunting they should be placed in a flight pen so they develop good flight muscles. Inside cages for these two species should allow for ½-square-foot of floor space for quail and 1-square-foot floor space for partridge. Pheasants should be raised in flight pens.
The flight pen is constructed in a long rectangular shape. It should be located in a quiet area of the farm, away from human and vehicle traffic. Plan accordingly to allow 3- to 4-square-feet per partridge or quail or 10-square-feet per pheasant. The pen should be built against a building to allow the birds to have access to the inside in case of poor weather. The sides are made of upright wood or steel posts and chicken wire. The wire should be sunk 18 inches into the ground along the base of the pen to prevent predators from tunneling into the pen. The top is covered with poultry netting to keep the birds from flying out. A low wall (24 inches) of boards around the pen’s perimeter will provide further protection from wind.
Feeding
To start, a 1-gallon waterer should be placed for every 50 birds. Dip each bird’s beak into the waterers when you place them into the brooding pen so they know where to find the water. Watch quail carefully around the waterers, as they are very tiny and can fall into the waterer bases. Placing some clean, small rocks into waterer’s base the first few days will provide them with footing if they do fall into the water.
Game bird starter feed can be purchased from local farm stores or grain elevators and should be fed to chicks until they are 6 weeks old. They can also be fed a turkey starter ration, but regardless of starter, it should have 24–28 percent protein. After 4 weeks, you can add some whole grains to the diet as long as you also provide the birds with grit. From 6 weeks to 14 weeks, a game bird grower or turkey grower ration with 20 percent protein should be fed to the birds. After this, they can be fed a ration with 15 percent protein. Twenty inches of feeding space should be allowed per 100 chicks. Scatter some feed on pieces of cardboard or newspaper near the feeders the first few days so the chicks can find the feeder.
In the flight pen, vegetation should be planted to provide cover for the birds. By providing vegetation, twice as many birds can be grown than in pens without vegetation. This is because vegetation provides environmental enrichment and protection for birds that are being picked on by other birds. This can range from a few conifer trees to annual grasses like millet, oats, wheat, barley, or even weeds like pigweed or lambs quarter. Waterers and feeders should be scattered throughout the pen. Feeders should be covered to prevent moisture from damaging the feed.
Turkey Health
There are three diseases that are the primary culprits for turkeys getting sick. A helpful memory trick is to think of the letters ABC.
Airsacculitis: This is a disease that affects the turkey’s air sacs. The respiratory system of a bird is very different from mammals. The lungs are attached to the inside of the rib cage, so there is no diaphragm to inflate and expand the lungs; instead, birds have a system of thin-walled pouches, or air sacs, that connect to the lungs by openings called ostia. The muscles that attach to the keel bone (breast bone) move this bone much like bellows during breathing. This changes the pressure in the air sacs to cause the lungs to draw in and expel air. Sometimes during the process of breathing, foreign material or microorganisms can become lodged in the air sacs. These substances cause inflammation and infection of the air sacs, which can lead to poor growth rate in a flock or even death. To prevent airsacculitis, ventilation in turkey houses should be carefully monitored. Buildup of ammonia fumes and opening windows or using exhaust fans will help to minimize dust particles that enter the turkey houses. Treatment for infected air sacs is through the use of antibiotics in the drinking water.
Blackhead: Blackhead, or histomoniasis, is a disease that primarily affects young turkeys. Microscopic protozoa, Histomonas meleagridis, cause damage to the liver and intestine of infected turkeys. If untreated, turkeys with blackhead will die. The disease is spread from a bird that has cecal worms infected with the protozoa. These infected cecal worms are passed through the feces to the ground. The protozoa reside in the cecal worm eggs that are then consumed by earthworms. The turkey usually becomes infected with histomoniasis through ingesting these earthworms that are infected with the eggs. Turkeys sick with histomoniasis will have dropped tails and ruffled feathers, and will act dull and depressed. If histomoniasis is suspected, the treatment is with the medication dimetridazole. If any turkeys are dead, they should be burned or buried to prevent contamination of the soil with cecal worm eggs. Equipment should be cleaned and disinfected as well. The soil in pens from an infected flock can remain contaminated for up to three years. A new site for a pen should be chosen if turkeys are raised on the same farm.
Coccidiosis: This disease is caused by parasites that cause decreased growth and death in turkeys. After ingesting the organism in feed or water contaminated with feces, it grows in the intestine and causes damage to tissues. This damage leads to decreased absorption of nutrients, decreased feed intake, blood loss, and an increased susceptibility to other infections. The primary symptoms are an outbreak of bloody diarrhea along with lethargic birds that huddle together with ruffled feathers. These outbreaks are usually related to an increased number of turkeys in a small space: the higher the stocking density, the greater the number of coccidia in a smaller area. This increases the chance that turkeys, through picking at the ground, will eat larger amounts of coccidia. Low levels of coccidia in the digestive tract will not cause much damage, but higher numbers will cause serious problems. It is usually a more severe problem in young birds. Treatment includes addition of coccidiostats — medications that kill coccidia — in the feed or water. Prevention relies on removing manure, moving birds to fresh ground, and decreasing stocking density in pens.
Other turkey diseases
Blue comb: Turkeys ingesting contaminated feed or water will be at risk for this disease. It affects the digestive tract, leading to loss of appetite, diarrhea, decreased body temperature, dehydration, and death. Poults are most severely affected and there is no treatment. Prevention revolves around strict sanitation of pens and equipment and keeping the young turkeys dry and warm.
Erysipelas: Erysipelas is caused by the bacterium Erysipelothrix insidiosa. The bacteria gain entry into the turkey’s body through wounds and are found in the soil of many turkey farms. Turkeys affected with erysipelas will be lethargic, and will have a bluish discoloration to the head, sulfur-colored droppings, swelling of the snood, and nasal discharge. Erysipelas can be treated with antibiotics, and there is a vaccination available. The disease can also be passed on to humans, swine, and sheep. Use rubber gloves when treating sick birds.
Gapeworms: These parasites are primarily a problem of young birds raised on range. They gain entry into the bird’s body when the birds eat earthworms, which harbor the gapeworm eggs. The worms become infected when they eat the eggs passed in the dropping of infected turkeys. In the turkey, the eggs develop into worms that reside in the lungs. The growing worms block the trachea and can cause them to suffocate. Signs include outstretched necks and coughing. The birds will not eat and quickly become weak. Birds can be treated with anthelmintics (dewormer) in the food or water. To prevent this from occurring, keep the food and water off the ground. If you have a problem, the soil in the pens can be tilled after the growing season to help destroy eggs.
Fowl lice and mites: There are numerous species of lice and mites that can affect all poultry. Though lice do not directly kill poultry, they can lead to discomfort and loss of productivity. They are usually straw-colored and can be found on the skin or on feathers. White lice egg clusters can be found attached at the base of the feathers. Mites can be of variable appearance but are generally very small, crawling insects on the bird. Treatment for both is through use of an insecticide formulated for poultry. The premises should also be treated to kill those insects hiding in cracks and crevices.
Pullorum disease: Salmonella pullorum is the bacterium that causes pullorum disease. It is spread from infected hens to their young through the shells and also from bird to bird through infected droppings. There is a high death rate among poults affected with pullorum disease; older birds can harbor a chronic infection. Signs of pullorum disease include lethargy, huddling, ruffled feathers, diarrhea that pastes the vent, no appetite, and weakness. It is not very common anymore due to nationwide efforts to eradicate the disease. If a turkey has pullorum, it should be reported to federal authorities, as the government is trying to eradicate the disease. Treatment is unsatisfactory, and infected premises are very difficult to free of the microorganism. Poults should be purchased from pullorum-free flocks and hatcheries.
Guinea Fowl Health
Guinea fowl are susceptible to many of the same diseases as chickens and turkeys, especially when they are still keets. One main cause of death of adult guinea that are allowed to free range is predation from owls, hawks, and coyotes, and from being run over by vehicles on roadways. Guinea hens allowed to nest outside of a designated pen will typically lose their keets due to predators and poor weather. To keep your guineas from roosting outside at night, you can clip their wings to keep them from flying out of their pens and to keep them out of trees. Clipping involves taking sharp scissors and cutting off half the length of the primary flight feathers. These are the last ten feathers on the wing. You should only cut the primary flight wings on one wing. When the bird molts, these feathers will grow back, so you will need to repeat the process after each molting session. This may mean reclipping the wing every few months for younger birds or a year for older birds.
Game Bird Health
While not a disease, one big cause of death among game birds raised in captivity is cannibalism. Pheasants are more prone to cannibalism, but all species and ages are capable of this vicious act. It may start as simple feather picking and can quickly explode into a full-blown attack to the death. There are many causes of cannibalism. These include:
• Overcrowding
• Territorial aggression
• External parasites
• Nutritional imbalances
• Injuries due to poorly maintained pens or equipment
• Poor sanitation and ventilation
• Too high of a brooding temperature
To help minimize the chance of cannibalism from occurring in your game bird flock, there are a few management steps you can take — however, even the best-managed flocks may still have problems. Provide the birds with adequate floor space, shelter, and eating and drinking space. Vegetation in flight pens will allow birds to escape and hide from the other aggressive birds. Maintaining the pen and equipment will cut down on chance of injuries, as well. Remove injured, sick, or weak birds from the flock as soon as they are observed. Work quietly among your birds to avoid frightening or startling them.
Game birds can be affected by many of the other diseases affecting poultry, such as coccidiosis, fowl pox, fowl cholera, erysipelas, blackhead, and internal and external parasites. Pheasants can be affected by marble spleen disease, a viral disease common in confinement-raised pheasants. With marble spleen disease, most birds are found dead. Necropsy (examination of the dead bird) shows an enlarged spleen with a mottled color along with fluid buildup in the lungs and other internal organs. There is a vaccination available to prevent flock losses. Quails are susceptible to a viral respiratory disease called quail bronchitis. Young quail are most severely affected with coughing, sneezing, and wheezing being the predominate signs. There is no vaccination available for this disease, which can cause the entire flock to be lost. To help prevent this disease, keep stray wild birds and rodents away from the flock through pen and building maintenance.
Case Study: Game (Bird) Time
Jim Meyer
Oakwood Game Farm Inc.
PO Box 274
Princeton, Minnesota
800-328-6647
Jim Meyer is the owner and founder of Oakwood Game Farm Inc., a large commercial Ring-necked pheasant and Chukar partridge raising facility located in east-central Minnesota. Founded in 1967, they currently hatch and ship thousands of day-old chicks and adults to customers across the country.
Meyer started his game farm with 50 day-old pheasant chicks. His business has grown to the point that Oakwood now raises 125,000 pheasants and 20,000 partridges on two farms. Oakwood Game Farm employs 20 people, and a few people are working around the clock, seven days a week, to care for the birds. They also market 400,000 chicks annually. Pheasants are raised for both release and eating, and are also sold at their retail store.
Meyer advises anyone interested in entering the game bird market to do their research prior to investing in game birds: A solid market for the birds should be identified. Raising game birds is very labor-intensive at all points in the process. Some major pitfalls to raising pheasants in particular are underestimating the amount of space needed to raise a quality bird, not having the correct cover on the flight pens, controlling predators, and preventing cannibalism.
Meyer keeps extensive records on all aspects of his business. This includes the number of eggs produced each day, number of eggs set, and number of chicks hatched. Other records include the number of chicks kept on the farms, death rates, feed consumption, medication usage, vaccinations, and blood test results. Records are also kept regarding customer orders, employees, advertising, budgeting, and finances.
“Raising pheasants is not for the weak of heart,” Meyer said. “The birds retain much of their wildness, and this is a plus; however, it also can be a negative. Unlike chickens, when pheasants get loose — and they will — they fly away. That is like watching all of the hard work, cost, and potential profit fly into the sunset. Predators can — and they will — get into outside pens and kill many, many birds in a single night, and will return again and again. Ice and heavy wet snows will stick to your pen tops and collapse the entire structure, and give freedom to your birds or kill them. Having said all of that, the joy of raising a chick into a full-grown, beautiful rooster pheasant successfully, and then being able to sell it (and make some money) is quite a feat and gives a feeling of pride and satisfaction.”