Best place to get pheasant chicks that may survive wild?

Q

QuailBob

Member
I live in western Colorado and we have a 62 acre farm with 15 or 20 acres set aside in habitat. We used to have a fair amount of birds but to say the least they are disappearing! Like anyone on this forum I hate to see this. So I am going to make a effort to raise and release some QUALITY birds! We kill a lot of predators there and I think that helps but I want to replant some of the habitat as the salt grass has taken over... But my question is what is a good source for good birds??
 
anywhere you can get chicks. you need to set up a place that the birds never see you or any one else. you will have a big time lose of birds on release. it can be done but you need to release lots of birds. You dont really have much land at 62 so good luck.
 
I know, I probably am wasting my time. Maybe I should just say they are gone and not fight it! But I guess that's not me! I want to try and was thinking someone might have some good advice on where to get good birds?
 
Good for you and it can be done. My in-laws have some ground in SE Kansas where there's no pheasant for miles around. About 5 years ago we bought some roosters and hens and released them. We've been seeing a few here and there for the past 5 years. Saturday my father in-law, my two little kids and I were sitting in a deer blind overlooking a cut bean field. We watched 12 roosters and 2 hens messing around in the bean field for over an hour. It was a awesome sight to see! They were big, good looking healthy birds. Not sure if these are some of the ones we originally released or if they've bred??? We didn't get a deer, but it made the trip worth it getting to watch the pheasants.
 
That's awesome! I figure if there is nothing to eat 'em they'll have a better chance, on that note we cought a fox this morning!! It's no longer with us!! The one thing I know for sure is if I don't try with the pheasants they damn sure won't do any better!
 
Does the Hunting Preserve over there have any for sale or can they point you in the right direction? Not sure if it is in Delta, Montrose.
 
Give these guy's a call. They may have the resource local for you!



Black Canyon Wing & Clay
2566 Last Chance Rd., Delta, Colorado 81416
Phone: (970) 874-7195
 
Sorry I didn't get back sooner been busy! Thanks for the interest in my project. I do not think there is a PF chapter close by? I have asked black canyon wing and clay and they didn't seem to really want to sell the birds outright?? I think I will have to order chicks. I have a friend in SD that gets birds from "GC" also in SD and is very happy with those birds? Might give them a try?
 
KansasGsp said:
Good for you and it can be done. My in-laws have some ground in SE Kansas where there's no pheasant for miles around. About 5 years ago we bought some roosters and hens and released them. We've been seeing a few here and there for the past 5 years. Saturday my father in-law, my two little kids and I were sitting in a deer blind overlooking a cut bean field. We watched 12 roosters and 2 hens messing around in the bean field for over an hour. It was a awesome sight to see! They were big, good looking healthy birds. Not sure if these are some of the ones we originally released or if they've bred??? We didn't get a deer, but it made the trip worth it getting to watch the pheasants.
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KansasGsp, good report on wild pheasants in S. E. Kansas. Wild reproducing pheasants in time can occupy every county in Kansas. I have been getting reports from friends of seeing truly wild acting pheasants (not tame pen raised escapees) in parts of S. E. Kansas where they are rarely seen or not seen before.

Areas of sighting Dexter, my wildlife photography buddy was in a blind trying get some good shots of P. Chickens but saw healthy long tail wild pheasants in that area.
The second area where fast flushing and fast flying wild pheasant were seen was about 25 or 30 miles directly east of that area. A family friend purchased land and they also saw wild pheasant while in the deer blind but not on the county roads. And also when duck hunting.
Wild reproducing pheasants will over time expand their range, but that will take a long time to build up critical mass needed to get to a hunt able population.

To speed up the pheasant expansion process release wilder more predator wary/alert strains of pen raised ringneck pheasants, such as the Manchurian ringneck and the Bianchi pheasant (also call the afghan white-winged pheasant).

Wild North American ringneck pheasants are really made up of many ringneck subspecies ( the Chinese ringneck, the Manchurian ringneck, the Mongolian ringneck, the Korean ringneck and others).

Most people don't realize that the original Kansas ringneck stock used in the stocking of pen raised pheasants came from England in 1906. Those English pheasants were made up of numerous ringneck subspecies including the White-Winged group (the English called their white-winged pheasants P. c. principalis). Look at the link below. Scroll down to the 9th section. "The quest for perfection".

http://www.thefield.co.uk/shooting/the-history-of-the-pheasant-22364

This thread started with the question, where to get pheasant chicks that may grow up to survive in the wild.

You need a chick that is close to f1 (recently removed from the wild) you need a bird that has the good sense to duck, crouch down and quickly escape from predators. Since the average citizen can't legally trap truly wild pheasants. The next best option is to buy commercially available wilder strains of pen raise pheasant. Yes you may see 75% to 80% mortality but 20% survival is better than zero, it only takes 5 to 10 hens to get lucky and get a hatch to start a wild population, each generation that hatch in the wild will be wilder and more alert than the first generation that hatch in the wild. Released pheasant may move 3 to 5 mile down the road so tell your neighbors so they can also protect them and not shoot them.

Macfarlane pheasant farm should have both the Manchurian-cross and the Afghan White-Winged.
 
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They do and that's what I am looking into! I hope next spring to have my project underway! Those birds do look like the best option. I have read a few success stories with the manchurian birds so that's what I will try?
 
We have been using Macfarlane as well. I have always got great birds, and no deads in the box yet. I get the deal on 500 hens for 10 cents each. Then you can just buy say 50 or so straight run rooster chicks as well. The key is to take great care raising them. Temp, lights, food, water, meds, blinder timing, moving outdoors timing, room, and so on. Once you figure out how to get chick to healthy adult, then release timing is also important. It is not a real cheap venture. Saving cost on feed buying with a bulk wagon directly from an elevator is a big advantage cost wise. Bag food is spendy. Then absolutely do not release chicks. They will die. Only release spring adults, or if you have mild winters with great food and water, fall adults are OK after hunting season. Here, spring time adults is the only way. Spring provides the time needed for them to find their way around with food and water every where. In just a few weeks they are as wild as any. They have done very well when I have released them at that age and time of year. All other ways failed for me. In 20 years experimenting, it is the only way it worked. But worked well.
 
Preston1 said:
KansasGsp, good report on wild pheasants in S. E. Kansas. Wild reproducing pheasants in time can occupy every county in Kansas. I have been getting reports from friends of seeing truly wild acting pheasants (not tame pen raised escapees) in parts of S. E. Kansas where they are rarely seen or not seen before.

Areas of sighting Dexter, my wildlife photography buddy was in a blind trying get some good shots of P. Chickens but saw healthy long tail wild pheasants in that area.
The second area where fast flushing and fast flying wild pheasant were seen was about 25 or 30 miles directly east of that area. A family friend purchased land and they also saw wild pheasant while in the deer blind but not on the county roads. And also when duck hunting.
Wild reproducing pheasants will over time expand their range, but that will take a long time to build up critical mass needed to get to a hunt able population.

To speed up the pheasant expansion process release wilder more predator wary/alert strains of pen raised ringneck pheasants, such as the Manchurian ringneck and the Bianchi pheasant (also call the afghan white-winged pheasant).

Wild North American ringneck pheasants are really made up of many ringneck subspecies ( the Chinese ringneck, the Manchurian ringneck, the Mongolian ringneck, the Korean ringneck and others).

Most people don't realize that the original Kansas ringneck stock used in the stocking of pen raised pheasants came from England in 1906. Those English pheasants were made up of numerous ringneck subspecies including the White-Winged group (the English called their white-winged pheasants P. c. principalis). Look at the link below. Scroll down to the 9th section. "The quest for perfection".

http://www.thefield.co.uk/shooting/the-history-of-the-pheasant-22364

This thread started with the question, where to get pheasant chicks that may grow up to survive in the wild.

You need a chick that is close to f1 (recently removed from the wild) you need a bird that has the good sense to duck, crouch down and quickly escape from predators. Since the average citizen can't legally trap truly wild pheasants. The next best option is to buy commercially available wilder strains of pen raise pheasant. Yes you may see 75% to 80% mortality but 20% survival is better than zero, it only takes 5 to 10 hens to get lucky and get a hatch to start a wild population, each generation that hatch in the wild will be wilder and more alert than the first generation that hatch in the wild. Released pheasant may move 3 to 5 mile down the road so tell your neighbors so they can also protect them and not shoot them.

Macfarlane pheasant farm should have both the Manchurian-cross and the Afghan White-Winged.
Click to expand...

I know this is a old post, but was bored and looking around and came across your post. Wish I would have seen it earlier. I believe your PC picture taking buddy by Dexter was seeing some of our birds. We released some on Bob Massey's ground just South out of Dexter and then the ground you talk about 20-30 miles East of there is where we released the majority of them. May not be the same birds your friend seen, but right in that area so there's a pretty good chance.
 
http://gisipheasantfarms.com/ we got our birds from these guys last year. The chicks did great, our biggest loss was when they started to fly they would fly up and over the straw bales and then not make it back to the heat lamp then would get cold and die. Our mistake on having the straw bales to low. Yes the straw bales were back far enough not to be a fire hazard. The chicks did like to peck on the straw vs peck on each other. We had a cold spring that lingered, and we purchased our birds around the 18 of May. This year I will make sure its warmer out before we purchase, it was too much work too keep em warm in the cold weather. SdViking
 
The "wildest" pen-raised birds I've yet to hunt come from these bloodlines http://thundercountryoutdoors.com/. Macfarlane in Janesville, Wisconsin sells them too (though not to be mistaken for their Kansas Blueback bloodlines). Ask for K Thunder.

These are smaller birds but they run, flush, and act wild. At least that's the case when hunting them. Very impressive bird for a pen-raised bird.

Hope that helps.
Nick
 
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Another good place to get birds Is Bob Blaha in WI. He has a big set up there, and also in the Dakotas. In SD he takes thousands of his hens, and clips the wings, so they can't fly. He has open top pens for them, which lets the wild roosters come in and breed his hens. He hatches those eggs for sale. We use them in our trials, and I actually have some now. I have bought them several times. And I tell ya, they are rockets. Very wild like birds that run like hell LOL. There is a very noticeable difference between Bobs birds and others we use when it comes to running. They don't mess around when they flush. I can't think of another place where you would get birds that are 50% wild. Maybe even more percentage wise. Because his hens are from the wild strain roosters as well from the previous year.
 
FCSpringer said:
Another good place to get birds Is Bob Blaha in WI. He has a big set up there, and also in the Dakotas. In SD he takes thousands of his hens, and clips the wings, so they can't fly. He has open top pens for them, which lets the wild roosters come in and breed his hens. He hatches those eggs for sale. We use them in our trials, and I actually have some now. I have bought them several times. And I tell ya, they are rockets. Very wild like birds that run like hell LOL. There is a very noticeable difference between Bobs birds and others we use when it comes to running. They don't mess around when they flush. I can't think of another place where you would get birds that are 50% wild. Maybe even more percentage wise. Because his hens are from the wild strain roosters as well from the previous year.
Click to expand...

Does he have a website by chance? I'd like to see his birds.
 
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