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That Quail Place website has been created for individuals interested in raising quail and game birds. You will find information about many game birds, including, coturnix quail, bobwhite quail, pharaoh quail, button quail, pheasant, partridge and other game birds.

Ringneck Pheasants Ringneck pheasants bring to mind the hearty cackle of a flushed rooster in the fall, but pheasants may also be raised in a domestic environment. In fact, because the pheasant spends the greater part of its life on the ground, it readily adapts to life in confinement. The ringneck pheasant is not native to this continent. It was first introduced from China to the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1881. Since that time nearly all states have attempted to establish ringnecks.

Feeding Game Birds Young game birds kept for meat production are fed differently than birds saved for egg production or breeding. In addition, meat-type Bobwhite quail have larger bodies and are expected to gain weight more rapidly than birds grown for "flight" purposes. Therefore, birds are fed diets that contain nutrient levels that reflect the dietary needs of the specific type of birds being produced. Meat-type birds are grown as flight birds will be more expensive to produce since they will consume more feed, be larger than necessary and are not considered as good fliers. In contrast, smaller strains of Bobwhite quail that are usually considered as good flight birds are not recommended as good meat producers. They are not efficient converters of feed to meat and produce less desirable carcasses when slaughtered.

Raising Bobwhite Quail for Commercial Use This circular is designed to assist those who have already ventured or who may venture info raising game birds in an effort to supply the growing demand by hunting preserves and restaurants and for wildlife release. There are many ways of raising bobwhite quail. We present our opinions based on your experiences and our contacts with you growers concerning management and health problems. Take the information in this circular, adapt to your situation, and, most of all, use plain old common horse sense "You'll be a successful bobwhite quail producer."

Feeding Quail A discussion of the feeding programs used in producing many species of upland game birds. Several diets are included with amounts required for each ingredient.

Brooding Chickens and Quail A guide that focuses on proper brooding and management techniques used for chicks.

Bobwhite Quail Brooder House Plans A set of blueprint plans for building a power ventilated quail brooding house for 7,000 chicks through six-weeks of age.

Bobwhite Quail Grower House Plans A set of plans for building a quail grower house for 8,000 chicks between 7- and 14-weeks of age. This plan compliments the plan listed above.

Bobwhite Quail Flight Pen Plans A set of diagrams addresses the building of a flight pen facility for 1,000 to 1,200 Bobwhite quail during the flight conditioning phase of their growth. This plan compliments both plans listed above.

Raising guinea fowl. The domesticated guinea fowl is well known to both gourmets and aviculturists in Australia. Its pleasant manner, attractive plumage and value as a table bird with game-type flavour and high meat-to-bone ratio have ensured its wide acceptance. Looks like a definitive text for raising these birds. See also: Raising Guinea Fowl as tick predators to control Lyme Disease

Guineas- Basic Information Guineas are an interesting addition to your farm or acreage. Guineas are the farm yard watch dog, sounding the alarm whenever anything unusual occurs. They will consume large amounts of insects and seldom bother your garden or flowers. They are easy and inexpensive to raise. Once started, they fend for themselves, living on insects, seeds, and grasses. They control deer ticks, wood ticks, grasshoppers, box elder bugs, flies crickets, and all other insects. Their call will discourage rodents. They will kill snakes, and will alert you to anything unusual.

Hatching Quality Chicks A publication that discusses all incubation requirements for hatching strong chicks of most species of commercially produced poultry.

Hatchery Management Guide A guide for small commercial hatchery managers to attain maximum chick hatchability.

Care and Incubation of Hatching Eggs A guide for those individuals who are incubating eggs for the first time.

Troubleshooting Incubation Failures A troubleshooting guide for determining causes for hatching failures and suggested remedies for correcting the problems.

Avian Embryo A scientific discussion of the formation of an egg and the stages that the chick progresses through during incubation. Included are experiments and exhibits for educators plus diagrams for constructing two small incubators.

Sanitation - Cleaning and Disinfectants A discussion of principles and methods used to reduce the number of disease organisms in hatcheries.

General Characteristics of Disinfectants A listing of the attributes and deficiencies of common disinfectants used in poultry facilities.

A Practical Guide for Poultry Litter Composting A MAFES Research Bulletin discussing the potential of composting poultry litter in the house.

Solutions Used With Poultry A listing of many solutions and remedies used for treating poultry problems.

How to Begin and Survive A Commercial Gamebird Farm, Gamebird Publications. This is a 33-page downloadable manual that covers business planning, bird production and product marketing.

Gamebirds: Marketing , Econmics and Production, University of Minnesota Extension Service. Gamebird production fact sheet.

Identifying Opportunities for Agricultural Growth – Game Birds - Publication provided by the Chilliwack Agricultural Commission. This Canadian publication gives an overview of the opportunities associated with the U.S. and the Canadian Game Bird market.

Marketing Ringneck Pheasants, North Dakota State University Extension. The most concerning element of pheasant production is not whether pheasants can be effectively managed in confinement, but whether a market can be found for them which will offer a sufficient return. To help in the marketing investigation phase, it is necessary to know what the likely costs of producing the pheasants will be. The publication includes an example spreadsheet of production costs and return on investment.

Agricultural Alternatives: Pheasant Production, Penn State University. This is a free downloadable, or for-purchase print publication that covers the economics and problems and considerations inherent in full and part-time pheasant farming. This six-page publication, part of the Agricultural Alternatives series focusing on small-scale and part-time farming operations, covers pheasant marketing, getting started, hatching and rearing young birds, and disease problems, and includes sample budgets and references for more information.

Game Birds Frequently Asked Questions – This Canadian Ministry of Agriculture site provides information on marketing and production topics such as nutrition, management, health, housing and other information about game birds.

Illinois Specialty Farm Products - The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed this research project in collaboration with the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. The Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research is funding this project as part of its Special Research Initiative on Rural Community Development. List of Internet sites dealing with gamebird production, including cost-production budgets, avian influenza, and other information and issue updates from a range of state extension services.

Issues: Shooting Preserves - Hunting and Conservation Issues/Gamebird Shooting Preserves is a USDA publication that discusses the ethics and recreational impact of preserve hunting for upland game birds. This publication includes a breakdown of the economic benefits for owners, operators, and the community, as well as overall habitat improvement and benefits for non-game species.

Managing Game Birds - a Michigan State University Extension publication that provides complete feed rations suggestions in addition to other management information.

Pheasant Production - This Penn State University Extension publication provides some marketing information and complete production information, including sample budgets.

Profile of the Canadian Gamebird Industry, Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. An extensive analysis of the Canadian gamebird industry. This site contains slaughter figures, growth and constraints on the industry, protein and fat composition analyisis for different species, marketing and promotions, industry organization, and other information.

That Quail Place - A Web site created for individuals interested in raising quail and game birds. The site contains information about coturnix quail, bobwhite quail, pharaoh quail, button quail, pheasant, partridge and other game birds. There is information regarding the general care, breeding, incubating, brooding and raising of various species. An area also is provided for those interested in purchasing supplies, including equipment used for raising and breeding quail, live birds, hatching eggs, and literature.

Raising Bobwhite Quail for Commercial Use – Mississippi State University Extension publication on production, management, with some marketing information included for those wishing to raise game birds for the hunting preserves, restaurant market or for wildlife release.

Raising Game Birds - This University of California 23-page general management guide is provided as a joint effort of the Poultry Working Group, Cooperative Extension, and industry representatives.

Gamebirds and Gamebird Breeder Online

Japanese Quail - Coturnix (requires Acrobat Reader 3.01) Good management publication by: J.R.Cain and W.O. Cawley, Texas A&M.

Japanese Quail Husbandry in the Laboratory (Coturnix coturnix japonica) By: A. Woodard, Abplanalp, Wilson, and Vohra, University of California, Davis.

Partridge Production Partridge producers typically raise one of two distinct species, the chukar or the Hungarian partridge. This six-page publication, part of the Agricultural Alternatives series focusing on small-scale and part-time farming operations, covers the two partridge species, marketing, getting started, hatching and rearing young birds, and disease problems, and includes sample budgets and references for more information. (1998)

Raising and Propagating Japanese Quail By: Ralph A. Ernst Extension Poultry Specialist University of California, Davis.

Raising Chukar Partridges By: Allen Woodard UC-Davis.

Raising Game Birds Good general management guide. This publication is a joint effort of the Poultry Workgroup, Cooperative Extension, and industry representatives.

Raising Guinea Fowl (requires Acrobat Reader 3.01) Good older USDA publication covering sexing and management.

Tips on Pheasant Raising from MacFarlane Pheasants Inc It is easiest to start by purchasing pheasant chicks, as this will give you only one or two age groups. With laying hens, eggs should be set every week to 10 days. Therefore, you will have up to 10 different age groups to care for during breeding season. To avoid having multiple-age groups many pheasant farms purchase their chicks each year.

Food Safety Of Farm-Raised Game Venison, antelope, boar, pheasant, and other exotic species are now farm raised in the United States, and are under voluntary USDA inspection. For an increasing number of restaurants and home diners, exotic meats are becoming more commonplace. The Hotline has been getting inquiries about these food animal species. Included here are answers to questions about game animals.

Raising quail by Allen Easterly Issue #101 Raising quail is inexpensive, easy, provides very healthy low-fat white meat, and supplies the fertilizer you need for your home garden. The moderate start-up costs for raising quail are well worth it. A simple 8x8-foot open-sided pole building is fine to start with. You can also use an empty corner in an existing outbuilding. Wall in the upper half to keep strong winter winds away. Sturdy wire should be applied over the bottom half to help keep pets and predators at bay. There are a lot of wild critters, including snakes, that like to snack on quail and their tasty eggs.

Raising coturnix quail organically for eggs and meat Coturnix or Japanese quail are a delight to raise, their space requirements are small, they don’t eat a lot, convert feed into protein efficiently, and are much more congenial creatures than even the sweetest-tempered chicken. These engaging fowl have been raised under domestic conditions since the Pharos ruled beside the Nile.

Biosecurity for Exotic Fowl (Texas A&M University) Biosecurity is a practice designed to prevent the spread of disease into your farm. It is accomplished by maintaining the facility in such a way that there is minimal traffic of biological organisms (viruses, bacteria, rodents, etc.) across its borders. Biosecurity is the cheapest, most effective means of disease control available.

Raising Mealworms An important part of game bird diets that is often overlooked is the use of live food. The mealworm is the larvae of the Common Darkling Beetle (Tenebrio molitor), is perhaps the easiest to live food to produce and will provide the keeper with a source of live food needed for all stages of live. It is very easy to start a colony of mealworms and you can do so for less than $20.00. I'll use the colony I started a few months ago as an example.

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