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Raising Pheasant

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
Supporting Member
I need another project about as much as I need another hole in my head. With that said my wife and I have decided that we want to raise some pheasants. My dad used to raise a few back in the early 90's and released them every year. I used to love messing with them when I would visit over the summer.

I will be releasing most everything I raise. I will keep a few to let some of the youth get to kick them up. I know that most will not make it through the hunting season and the predators will take their share. I am hoping a few will survive and stick around pretty close. That is not my main reason though for raising them. I will enjoy raising them and hopefully some of the close neighbors may get to run their dogs and enjoy some time in the field.

My plan as it is now is to raise approximately 100 at a time. I will keep them for about 11 months before releasing them. Releasing them in the spring will hopefully give them sometime to adjust with plenty of food available. Plan is to build a 20' by 40' flight pen with a 10' by 10' brooding house attached to it. I am going to plant the flight pen with some corn, sorghum, millet, and clover to give the birds cover and food sources. I will cover a section of the pen to give the birds some shelter from inclement weather and will plant a few bushes and pines to help with cover as well.

I am still in the planning stages now but look forward to seeing how it goes.
I hopefully will be heading up to Tiro, OH in mid April to pick up day old chicks.

Figured this would be a good place to document the project.
If any of you guys have ever raised any I look forward to hearing about it.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
I hate pheasant....dam fightin bassturds... had to had blinders on all mine except my chinese goldens. Wont raise them again. once they see any blood on another bird they go hog wild
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
My cousin did or still does raising the State. I know he had a outside pen and took the eggs out of the nest as soon as they were laid and used a egg hatcher.
On 2nd thought he may have just started out with eggs and hatched them. He did 1000's per year. His hatching machine held 1000's eggs at a time and rotated by a timer.

Our gunclub did it for years back in the 60-70's before I joined in 1977. They started out with chicks in covered outside fight pens.
My son and his buddies also did it when they were in high school and they always started out with chicks.
That would be the route for you to go as it's the most successful.
 

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
Supporting Member
I hate pheasant....dam fightin bassturds... had to had blinders on all mine except my chinese goldens. Wont raise them again. once they see any blood on another bird they go hog wild

Yes. They can be very canabalistic. I am not too worried about that though. I will peep them if needed. Hopefully giving them enough room and keeping them busy with forage will keep it in check.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
My cousin had the same problem. It seems they get pen stressed and just start pecking at certain one and never stop until all the feathers have been pulled out and it's dead.

Yes. They can be very canabalistic. I am not too worried about that though. I will peep them if needed. Hopefully giving them enough room and keeping them busy with forage will keep it in check.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
I have a buddy that would be happy to give you pointers I'm sure. He has a pheasant farm where they shoot 1000's of them every year. He no longer raises them, but once did. I thought about raising a few last year and he told me that I would need to make the pens round for the chicks as they tend to kill each other if they get one trapped in a corner.
 

Buckmaster

Senior Member
14,362
191
Portage
My cousin is president of a hunting preserve. They raise and release about 3000 per year. His biggest complaint is Raptors who seek their pheasants as easy prey. The Raptors can even dive bomb the flight pens, grab a pheasant, rip its head off, leave it dead and start the process all over again. That's his biggest beef.
 

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
Supporting Member
Top will be covered with netting. I will keep all roosting areas far enough away from netting to hopefully keep the raptors at bay. As with any plan I may have to tweak this depending on predators.

Brock - Interested in hearing some feedback from your buddy on the round pens. My understanding was that the piling problem was only really an issue when they are real young.
I will keep the chicks in the brooder for the first 3 weeks all corners of the brooder will be curved. The first 10 days or so they will be kept in a round enclosure to protect them from piling. You've got me wondering if that will be enough. The flight pen itself will have corners. Maybe I will put some pine tops or something in the corners to help.

You've got me thinking.

Lots of great feedback and things to keep in mind.

I got my order in to pick up the chicks April 14th. It will be tight getting everything ready in time. Looking forward to getting started.
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
201
NE Ohio
I raised Pheasants for about 8 years. Biggest problem I had was weasels, Damn blood suckers.

Good luck and enjoy raising them.

When we were kids, Dad ended up buying 5 peacocks from a guy. We only had em for a few seasons when weasels found em and over the course of a few weeks, killed all but 1 which we donated to the park which had some already. He would never let them all out and they had a coup for night. Still, I had forgotten that story until you mentioned weasels. Ya. they are blood suckers.:smiley_cigar:
 

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
Supporting Member
With the nice weather I started building the Brooder house for the Pheasant pen. I was able to get the floor and walls framed up. Tonight I will sheet the floor and raise the walls. Hopefully will get the walls sheeted if time permits.

I decide to go 8'x8' so that it was easier with very minimum lumber waste. Figured plywood and OSB would be 8' sheets so will save me some time going 8'x8'.

Pheasant Brooder.jpg
 

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
Supporting Member
I had to take a little break from building the brooder (thought I was going to have to build an Ark with all the rain). I got back on it for a little bit yesterday.

Brooder3.jpg

Will try to get the door framed in and roof on this week. Hopefully get the siding on this weekend.
 

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
Supporting Member
I have spotted 2 different pheasant over the last 2 weeks within a couple miles of my place. These were the first ones I have seen in a number of years. I do not know of anyone in the area raising them within 15 miles of me so not sure if they were true wild birds or if someone may have a few and they got out. Hopeful they were wild birds.