Breeding And Marketing Breeding And Marketing with James Wilson
There are many ways to
successfully procue the ringneck pheasant and other gamebirds and
t
here is always debate and disagreement at gamebird meetings over
different techniques. This is a good thing and often results in
positive change and better success. The following summarizes what
has worked well for me in raising this popular pheasant.
In starting your ringneck pheasant breeding operation, one has the choice of purchasing breeding stock, eggs, or day-olds, all of which can be obtained at very little cost from reputable and reliable breeders in the classified section of the pheasant & Game Bird Gazette magazine. The Gazette also has great pictures and articles on producing ringneck pheasants and other pheasant and game birds in every every issue.
The small pheasant 
farmer who raises only a few
ringneck pheasants will find that by purchasing eggs or day old birds,
he/she will eliminate the necessity of caring for adult birds up
to and during the laying season; he will be able to obtain complete
settings or group of pheasant at one time and he can reduce the
amount of equipment needed. In mating, one male is provided for
each seven or eight female ringneck pheasants. Individual mating pens with
only one male pheasant are more satisfactory than large pens with
two or more males. Ringneck pheasants should be kept
in covered pens (there are several manufacturers of game bird netting for cover pens in the Gazette) on well-drained soil. If held in a separate pen during the winter, they should be taken from the
winter holding pens and put in laying pens about four weeks
before the mating season, whic
h is often about the first of
March. Pheasants should be culled at this time and only select
pheasants kept as breeding stock. Cornstalks or brush should be
placed in the center of the pen as a hiding place should animals
such as cats and dogs come too close. The number of eggs and
hatchability will depend largely on
the quality of diet fed to the breeders. If pens are movable so
that green feed is available, hatching results are likely to be
more satisfactory.
Excellent fee
ds are available is especially for
the pheasant from Purina, Pillsbury and other companies. During
the non-breeding season mixed grains should also be provided.
Oyster shell and grit is also important. Fresh drinking water is
supplied daily and should be kept before the pheasants
at all times.Some pheasant hens will lay
50 or more eggs in a season, but the average production is about
35 eggs. The eggs should be gathered each day; however,
after the weather gets warmer it is best to gather pheasant eggs
more often to prevent their being exposed for too long to direct
sun. Pheasant eggs are stored in
a cool place (a temperature of 50 to 60° F. is good). Incubation
should follow soon after the eggs are laid and in no case should
the eggs be held over 2 weeks. The eggs should be placed in a
position of small end down at an angle of about 30 degrees. In my
own pheasant breeding operation, I've found that turning my eggs at least once daily during storage produces better
hatching results.There are many fine
incubators available that will do an excellent job of hatching
ringneck pheasant eggs. You should follow the directions from the
manufacturer as to temperature and humidity settings and then
experiment to see what works best for you. In our area a humidity
setting of about 84ºF wet bulb and 99.75ºF temperat
ure produces
good results in pheasant hatching.Incubator trays are
constructed so that pheasant eggs can be positioned with small
end down. In some incubators, pheasant eggs can be placed in a
normal horizontal position (on their sides) and some breeders
have found that this has increased hatching success for them,
although I believe this has mostly been the case in rarer
species.
Ringneck pheasan
t eggs should be turned at least
three times and preferably five times daily. Temperature readings
vary slightly with different types of incubators. Ringneck eggs
require from 23 to 24 days to hatch and for the chicks to dry
off. What type of brooder facilities are used will depend on how
large your operation is. Large operators will find it more
satisfactory to brood pheasants in colony brooder houses. Where
only a few pheasants are grown, brooding cages are very
desirable. Outdoor brooders can be used where as many as 25
pheasants are grown.
Lack of sanitation in keeping this pheasant is often the cause of failure to raise the maximum number possible. Clean feeders and waterers must be provided. If pheasants are brooded on litter, it should be replaced each week. Pheasant must be observed carefully for nose or toe picking. Any pheasant that has been picked should be removed from the pen and kept isolated until the wounds are healed. For a lot of great information on raising the ringneck pheasant and other types of pheasants, I recommend that you subscribe to the Game Bird Gazette magazine. It was through this fine publication that I obtained my first ringneck pheasant eggs and learned how to raise and propagate them.
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