Diversify old poultry houses with a few game birds, frugality and way less light

By MICHEL ELBEN
Staff Writer

DOVER, Del. — Trying to increase your income? Searching for a low maintenance crop? Game birds include quails, pheasants and chukars.
“You’ll want to grow prey birds that people want to shoot,” said Jamie Skaggs,
The birds can be reared in a poultry house.
The principles are the same as broilers:
Controlled lighting
Well-ventilated
Good nutrition and water
Brooding
Clean house
Complete clean-out between flocks
Good flock management
Rodent control
Rear in isolation
Limit human interaction – quail are easy to tame
Use a blue/green light to control dead
No open roofs (close ceiling off – help with catching and heating)
Skaggs suggested pine shavings for material. “The birds, particularly quails, will consume sawdust litter,” he said.
Skaggs said little research exists about the rearing of game birds but local Extension offices tended to treat them like poultry.
“When brooding, start them at 95 degrees Fahrenheit,” he said.
“Reduce the temperature one degree a day or five degrees a week until it’s 70 degrees.”
Brooding lamps are often problems because they induce the chicks to pick at and even cannibalize each other.
Some breeders solve this problem by spray-painting the light bulbs blue.
Skaggs noted that there were several other tools to reduce cannibalism, which is a common problem in game birds.
“Use proper lighting, and if that doesn’t work use peepers,” he said. “Darkness will control cannibalism.”
Skaggs said beak trimming is discouraged because it lowers the quality of a trophy bird.
To minimize territorial disputes and cannibalism, mind the male to female ratio.
Skaggs said the ratio should be one male pheasant to 10 females, one male quail to one female, and one male chukar to four females.
Skaggs said it costs $9 to feed 1000 quails, and if it costs $500 to start you come away with $96,000 per house.
“If you raise a good bird, they will sell!” he said.
Skaggs said farmers could breed their own game birds, buy eggs, or buy day old chicks. “Look for a healthy bird that is fully feathered,” Skaggs said. “If they don’t know what a dog or person is, they’ll fly.”
Skaggs said it is best to raise the birds inside until they’re large enough to go outdoors into flying cages.
The target audience will be shooting preserves so aim for a Sept. 1 sale date.
“Your birds should be babies in mid-April and May,” Skaggs said.