How to Raise Pheasants for Stocking

The habitat of pheasants is decreasing fast due to human activities. The regulated hunting of these game birds therefore relies on stocking wild areas with captive, reared stock. Rearing pheasant chicks is not difficult, provided the chicks have enough warmth and good nutrition. Overcrowding tends to bring out the chick's natural tendencies to be cannibalistic and young pheasants must have enough personal space if the farmer is to be successful.

Things You'll Need

  • Brooder house, including covered, outdoor run
  • Disinfectant
  • Chopped straw
  • 250 watt infra-red light bulbs
  • Cardboard draft shields
  • 1-foot long feeders
  • 1-gallon water containers
  • Marbles
  • 30 percent protein, medicated game bird starter pellet
  • 20 percent grower feed
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Instructions

    • 1

      Design and build a brooder house that is weatherproof and free from drafts. Ensure that brooder house is rodent-proof and large enough to afford ¾-square foot floor space per pheasant chick. Attach a covered outdoor run, with 1-square-inch mesh, to the brooder house. Install a run large enough to offer older chicks up to 2 square feet floor space per bird.

    • 2

      Disinfect the brooder at least 14 days before receiving your first group of pheasant chicks. Place a layer of chopped straw over the floor. Avoid newspaper and wood shavings, as these chicks will readily consume wood shavings and die from an impacted gut as a result. Newspaper does not allow the chicks to gain a solid footing.

    • 3

      Suspend a 250 watt infra-red light bulb about 18 inches from the ceiling for each group of 100 pheasant chicks. When securing the lights to the ceiling, make sure the distance between the bottom of the lamp and the surface on which the chicks are standing, is the 18 inches. Red bulbs create a subdued atmosphere in the brooder room and typically prevent aggression and cannibalism. Keep the bulbs on until the chicks are one-month-old.

    • 4

      Place groups of chicks within a 14-inch to 18-inch high cardboard ring, in a vertical position on the floor, to confine each group under a heat lamp. These ring shields protect the developing chicks from drafts. Reserve a diameter of at least 4-feet for every 50 chicks.

    • 5

      Use a 1-foot long feeder per 50 chicks. Feed a medicated game bird pellet, which has at least 30 percent protein, until the chicks are six weeks of age. Choose a starter feed that contains amprolium. This is a preventative medication against coccidiosis, which is an intestinal disease.

    • 6

      Use a 1-gallon water container per 75 chicks. Place glass marbles into each water container, to prevent the chicks from drowning. Dip each chick's beak into the water when you place them into the brooder house for the first time. In this way, they become aware where to drink. Make sure there is enough water for the number of chicks in the brooder house.

    • 7

      Observe the chicks closely. Chicks that are too cold will huddle closer to the light, while those that are too hot will attempt to move as far away as possible. Raise or lower the lamps to correct these situations.

    • 8

      Open the brooder house door to allow chicks from two weeks of age to go outside during the day. Allow the chicks out on sunny days only and drive them back into the barn during the late afternoon.

    • 9

      Move the young birds to a larger pen once they reach four to five weeks of age. This pen must provide each bird with at least 25 square feet of ground space.

    • 10

      Change the diet to a 20 percent grower feed when the young birds move over to the large pen.