Raising pheasants who are pecking can be a rewarding enterprise.
Raising pheasants for profit can be a profitable enterprise. From the time they have hatched, they will be able to peck. Ring-necked pheasants were introduced into the U.S. from Asia for game hunting before the 1800's. They became widely established in the central and northern parts of the U.S.and typically live in farmlands. The excessive use of chemicals and changes in farming practices caused a decline in their population in the second half of the 20th century, and in certain states farmers are now encouraged to create pheasant breeding habitats.
Instructions
1. Build your brooder house. This should be high enough for you to stand in. The sides and roof must provide protection from drafts and the weather.Overcrowding can cause cannibalism, so it is important that the pheasants have enough space. Work on three quarters of a square foot per bird. Provide one 2-foot feeder per 50 chicks and one 1-gallon waterer for each 75 chicks. This should contain marbles or have a narrow lip, so the chicks do not drown. A power outlet is essential.
2. Construct your pen with a doorway from the brooder house. Calculate the size of the pen to allow for 1 -to-2 square feet per bird. Cover the sides with 1-inch mesh galvanized-after-weaving wire, 18 to 20 gauge. Flare out the wire and bury it at least 6 inches, to prevent predators from digging underneath. Cover the top with Toprite netting.
3. Clean and disinfect the brooder house and pen at least two weeks before your chicks arrive. Spread chopped straw over the floor. Hang lights with 250 watt infrared bulbs, one per 100 chicks, about 18 inches above the floor.
4. Dip the beaks of the newly arrived chicks in water and place them under the lights.Place a removable cardboard draft shield in a circle about 4-feet in diameter around the lights for the first week. Make certain they have enough food and water at all times and observe them closely. If they bunch up close together, it is an indication that they are cold and you may need more lights or draft protection. If they spread out and pant, they are too hot. Raise the lights or turn them off. They may need extra heat at night. Feed with a medicated game bird starter food.
5. Allow the chicks into the pen after two or three weeks Choose a warm sunny day and leave them out until late afternoon, before driving them back into the brooder house. Keep turning the heat on at night until the chicks are three to four weeks old -- unless your weather is very warm.
6. Check for cannibalism. Some chicks will have wounds on them. If this occurs, trim a small amount off the top beaks -- straight across with nail clippers.
7. Separate the pheasants into more pens, after they are five to six weeks old. They will need more space, twenty five square feet per bird is optimal. Change the feed to 20 percent protein grower feed.
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