Anybody got any experience with raising birds for hunt clubs?

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I was told that there is good profit in raising quail and phesants for hunt clubs, is there any experienced with this? Cost, profit margin, permits, problems?

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), August 02, 2001

Answers

Mitch: I thought about it a couple years ago, when I was asked to find a team of folks to help out as "bird flingers" at one of the dog training matches at a hunt club. They used pigeons and ducks, and at that time, they were paying $6.00 each for the ducks. I contemplated for a time about how many and how fast I could raise them, and what I would have to build to house them, etc. As for the hunt clubs themselves, you would have to ask around as to what they are paying now, how many they need per season, etc. After that, you would know if you could make a profit. Jan

-- Jan in Co (Janice12@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

For what its worth; you might want to try raising one type of bird and "work out the kinks" so you'll have an idea of what's involved. We are in our second year of raising Quail and have dealt with (and learned)more than the books prepared us for!

As far as cost goes, it all depends on the number of birds you plan on keeping. A flight pen is a must for birds that are released. This can be costly as far as materials go and the size is directly related to the amount of birds you keep. Also, do you want to purchase eggs and incubate/brood? Or will you start with chicks that only require brooding? We keep enough mature birds to provide us with our own eggs, but its very uncommon for a hen to sit on a clutch (successfully) in captivity, so we must incubate. Here are some links to some related site on raising gamebirds. http://members3.boardhost.com/gamebirds/

http://www.bobwhitequail.com/

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/eggs/res00-index.html

http://www.shaywood.com/raising/breed.htm

Good luck! Mary

-- Mary (zoots25@hotmail.com), August 02, 2001.


I forgot to add that in Pa a $25 annual permit is required to sell or trade gamebirds and/or their eggs. If you purchase gamebirds from a licensed breeder his permit # will extend to the birds in your captivity, however, the birds are then for your use only! (this applies to the eggs produced from them as well) This information was provided to my by our state aggriculture dept. Check with your own state and municipality for their regulations. I would want to be sure there aren't any zoning restrictions before I began any kind of hobby or business. It can be costly fighting a legal battle!

-- Mary (zoots25@hotmail.com), August 02, 2001.

Mitch I read the same article I imagine made you ask this questain in the Ocala star banner july 15 .I think that by the time hundreds of people that copy his idea get established the quails will go the same way as the pot belly pig, which used to cost up to $400. each when the fad first started ,now I see them advertised sometimes as free to a good home.That has also happen to the fainting goats ,meat goats and the pygmy goats in my area.The price was high and everyone and his brother started raising them.Now no one can sell them,not even the ones who were doing it before it became a money making fad.The article has encouraged me to raise them for home use.Quails sell for a dollar a piece in my neighborhood

-- SM (goatman@00.com), August 02, 2001.

Mitch; check out North American Gamebird Association; they focus upon this industry. Leland Hayes' "Gamebird Journal". Check out the booklet, "Facts on Raising Gamebirds" by Dianne Tummey of B & D Game farm. You will need permits and they are issued dependent upon your meeting basic requirements for flight pen size and materials (where you keep and raise the birds) and the number of birds you have. For instance, pheasants need roughly 55 sq ft. per cock and 40 sq ft. per hen without blinders/peepers (which keeps the bird form pecking and cannabalizing one another. Feed costs for me 5 years ago when I did this were roughly $2 per bird to raise it from a day old chick to 20 week old bird. Its worth checking into-- game farms/hunt clubs are becoming more popular as is the interest in different poultry for restaurants. Hunting dog trainers buy gamebirds as do various hunt test and field trial groups. or people

-- david dati (drdati@hotmail.com), August 03, 2001.


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