the table. Others are looking for wild-flight birds to use in dog training or wing shooting. Still others want a bird that will consume ticks and
other parasitic insects on their property. On top of these reasons there is still an entirely different branch of birds- ornamentals. Some
hobbyists breed ornamental gamebirds on a small level just for their beauty, while others have large operations to aid in the conservation of
these rare and elegant creatures. Take a while, if you have not already, to decide on the type of bird you are looking for. Rest assured, no
matter what conclusion you come to- there is a gamebird for everyone!
please skip the section on young birds and go to the section titled ADULT GAMEBIRDS. If you have ordered or are going to order day-old
birds, be sure to have everything set-up a few days before they arrive. The area where the young birds are raised is called the brooder.
The brooder should be in a safe and secure area, free from the torment of pets, vermin and curious young children. The brooder needs to
be in a place that is draft-free. A cool draft could chill young birds and potentially kill them. Make sure you have chick feeders and waterers
available before the birds arrive. Feeders and waterers can be found at most hardware stores and feed stores. Your birds will also need
heat. A good source of heat would be an infra-red 250 watt light bulb in a metal hood. Guinea keets, peachicks and quail require warmer
temperatures than the other gamebirds. Their brooder should be set at 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit. Pheasants, partridge, turkeys and
chickens should be started around 85-90 degrees. If you are using an open water system, place marbles or small pebbles in the water dish.
This will stop the chicks from falling in and drowning. They will drink from the gaps between the marbles or pebbles. Be sure to have enough
feeders available for the amount of chicks you are getting as well. About 1 inch of feeding space per chick is adequate for the first week. Set
your heat lamp or other heat source and check it until you find the right temperature. Heat lamps should be held approx. 20" off the floor
where the chicks will be and should be set off to one side. The feed and water should be on the opposite side of the brooder. Under this
intense heat source, water will evaporate more quickly and this also gives the chicks the ability to get away from the heat if they need to. Set
your brooder in a spot that is not in direct sunlight as it will overheat the chicks with the heat from the brooder as well. Manually test the
brooder for a few days before the birds arrive so that it is at an adequate temperature for them. If it gets too cool at night or too hot during
the day it could potentially cost you birds. After all, the key is location, location, location. We do carry plans for brooders if you cannot find
or make one for yourself. Contact Us for plans via e-mail or telephone.
and cover this with newspaper. This will stay in place for the first few days. If you are using a wire-bottom brooder, place some newspaper
over one section of the wire and under the brooder as well. You will be sprinkling feed on this newspaper so the new chicks can see it easily
and find their new food. Be sure to fill all feeders and water before placing the birds in the brooder. Young birds should be fed a high
protein crumble. Gamebird/ Turkey/ Pheasant Starter or Grower crumbles will usually suffice. They should have a protein level between
22% and 30%. The higher, the better. Chickens do not require such high protein and are fine on chick starter crumbles. Some feed comes
medicated with Amprolium- this is recommended as a precaution against some diseases (mainly coccidiosis).
Another note; be ready by having a grit supply. What's grit? Well, unlike humans, birds do not have teeth to grind their food. Instead, they
swallow small stones that break down their food as it digests. These small stones and pebbles are called grit. Chicks should have grit
sprinkled on their food, starting on the third day. Chick grit can be found at most local feed stores. Make sure it is small enough for young
birds to use.
office. Any lost birds can be refunded, as they are shipped insured by express mail. Once you get them home, it is time to set them in the
brooder- individually. Pick each bird up by grasping around its back and holding your fingers under its breast and stomach. Tilt it forward
and take a peak at its rear-end. If the bird has some manure 'pasted' to it, this is due to a little stress from shipping. Using a warm, moist
cloth, wipe these 'pasties' clean. Using your thumb to gently push the chicks head in a downward motion, dip each birds beak into the water
and set them down near it. A lot of times the little chick will drink the water and dip its beak for seconds. Do this with each chick and be sure
that they are all drinking and are walking alright. Some slower chicks may need to be confined for a few hours until they gain some energy.
Spread some feed on the newspaper that you have placed down. Let it fall and bounce where the chicks can see it. They should react to
the movement and peck at this new food source. Check on your new babies periodically to make sure all are getting off to a good start.
the feed. This will allow the chicks to ingest some grit while they eat- aiding in the digestion process. At this point your young birds should be
very energetic. All the birds should be eating regularly and drinking often. They should be moving quickly around the brooder and
investigating anything new they find. Any 'droopy' or 'slow' birds should be examined. Some may need a little extra attention. Then may
need to be kept in a separate tiny brooder where they have no competition for a day or two. With rest, feed and water they may bounce
back. Vitamin and electrolyte packs are available that dissolve into the water. Many people use these with young birds to give them plenty of
nutrients. Other people add a tsp. of sugar for every gallon of water. This added sugar gives a boost of energy to young birds.
through their first week they will generally be healthy. Wing feathers are the first to sprout, then shoulders, tail and breast. Fast and even
feather growth is a good sign that the birds are getting enough protein. At this point we start to change the way we are raising the birds-
depending on the species and the purpose of the birds. Guineas, peafowl, chickens and Pharaoh quail should be handled regularly. If they
are intended to be 'tame' birds they should each be held at least a full hour per day. That is EACH bird should be handled this much. They
must learn that you are no threat and that you can provide treats and protection. Pheasants, partridge, hunt quail and hunt waterfowl should
not be handled after this point. We should maintain their feed and water and let the birds interact without humans. This will let them grow
more 'wild' for release. Feeding live food to both tame and wild birds can also begin now. The occasional treat of mealworms, crickets, fruit
fly larva and other small insects will be beneficial to both the diet of the young birds and their natural tendencies. After the first week the
brooder should be reduced by 5 degrees in temperature. After each additional week, it should be dropped 5 degrees as well. We reduce
the temperature by simply raising the heat lamp away from the brooder until we reach the desired temperature at the level where the birds
are. Be sure to keep enough feed and water available as the chicks grow. Add more feeders if necessary.
week. For those guineas, peafowl and quail that needed a little extra heat at the beginning, this will give them an extra week of heat before
they go without it. The temperature for this last week will be only 70 degrees. At this point we begin to think of transferring them to coops or
outdoor enclosures. The birds will stay in a brooder for one more additional week without heat. Doing this gives them the experience of
learning that the night is cooler and they should be grouping together for warmth. Six weeks of brooding is the usual time period but some
birds take a little longer. We can begin to switch feed at this point as well. For larger birds (peafowl, turkeys, guineas and pheasants) we
can start to mix a Gamebird/Turkey Grower pellet into their crumble. On a daily basis, add a handful into their normal feed and monitor how
much of these pellets are eaten. If none are eaten and they are the only thing that remains, it may be a little early for your birds. By the time
the birds are in this brooder (for the last week or two) they should have about 3/4 sq ft per bird. More is always better. Keep an eye out for
trouble-makers. Some birds pick toes and feathers of their broodmates. To deal with this we use 'blinders' or we de-beak the birds. This is
done with a device that trims the upper mandible back, disallowing the chicks to cause injury to one another.
take one of two paths. Before establishing these paths we will first discuss construction. When it comes to the outdoor enclosures, NEVER
should we be cheap with our materials. It is much wiser to spend the time and money to build a good enclosure than to skimp and end-up
with an inadequate one. For domestic turkeys, chickens, guinea fowl, peafowl and domestic waterfowl we will usually be constructing a coop.
The ideal coop will have access for you into a partitioned area that feed and other items are kept. Your birds' quarters will be on the other
side of a wall or wire. This will keep them out of mischief and give you a comfortable work zone where you do not have to worry about
escaping birds. You can enter this area and close the door behind you so that when you do enter the birds' quarters and one gets by you- it
is simply in the working area and can easily be herded back into the coop. Whereas if you do not have a partition and a bird gets by you it
will be in the outdoors. Peafowl and guineas may never return if they are not trained and your new birds will be lost. The coop should have 4
solid walls and a solid roof where no unwanted guests can get in. Vermin spread disease and eat feed supplies. Most people don't consider
all the predators they have in their area before building the coop. Just about everywhere in North America we can find coyotes, weasels,
hawks, owls, raccoons, opossums and skunks. On top of these predators there are bear, mountain lion, bobcat, lynx, fisher cats, dogs,
snakes, and humans. Check what kind of predators you have in your area to know your enemies. Predators can completely devastate your
birds. If an opening is left for a predator to get in, in some cases, all of your birds could be killed in a single attack.
For the other group of birds; hunt birds, we usually construct an enclosure. An enclosure differs from a coop by being more of a "wild"
setting than a house. When we are trying to condition birds to be released for hunting of for stocking, we want them to be as wild as
possible. A well-thought-out enclosure will be key in the development of hunt birds. Some quail, pheasants, wild turkey, wild waterfowl and
partridge are the birds that fit in this category. The best way to condition these birds are by these points: little human interaction, wild food,
weather conditioning. These will be elaborated on shortly. The 'coop' for an enclosure only needs to be a small space for the birds to get
out of the rain and a place to keep their food and water clean. A small dog house would be ideal for a few pheasants. Simply install a roost
on one side and keep the feed and water on the opposite. It is also wise to have it elevated of the ground to deter vermin from finding the
feed.
