Money

[Welshies]

So I have been interested lately, looking at all the different fowl types. Their money making, etc- I want to write an article on this for those interested in making profit. Now, so far I've looked at ducks, quail, chickens, turkeys.
I am wondering now about pheasants.
What profit can be made from pheasants? What is the cost for a dozen hatching eggs? How much annual profit do you make after costs? How many dozens of hatching eggs or chicks does one hen produce per year? Would you say pheasants are in high or low demand?
Thanks for taking the time to help me guys

 

[Woofless]

There is a large commercial market for ringnecks, especially chicks and mature birds. The primary market is in selling adult ringneck rooster pheasants to hunting operations, in states where pheasant hunting season is a big deal. Landowners, hunting preserves, conservationists, state game departments, etc buy birds by the thousands, tens of thousands sometimes. It is possible to make a living just raising pheasants on a large scale.... albeit not an easy way to get rich by any means.

In commercial quantities as a grower (1000+ birds) there is a potential profit margin of about $7-10 per bird (i ran the numbers for myself about 5 years ago so don't quote me) depending on yearly feed & heating prices, yearly going rate for mature birds, also assuming you have the proper facilities and your losses are low.

It's easier to get started making money as a grower rather than a breeder, as breeding requires extra facilities and equipment (large scale hatchery equipment is SPENDY) plus constant costs for maintaining adult breeding birds. Its cheap enough to skip the breeding stuff & buy large quantities of day old chicks (the more you buy, the less they charge per chick, usually around $2 for sexed chicks if memory serves, been a few years since I priced them so it may have gone up) and raise them to maturity, and still make a profit.

Pheasant hens only lay in the late spring/summer unless you house them indoors with artificial lighting to induce laying early. With natural light you can expect a single hen to lay about 60-70 eggs per season. Hatching eggs run around .50 to .60 cents each.

It's hard to say how much income anyone can make selling pheasants as it will vary widely based on size of operation, start-up costs, maintenance costs (heating for chick brooding, for example, costs more in northern climates where spring temps can be cold), plus how much luck you have with your birds' health and survival. Hazards abound that can quickly devastate a flock, from heating failure to water line breakage, diseases, predators, etc.

On the smaller scale, there is what seems to be a decent hobby market for the more exotic, rare & decorative varieties of pheasant. I don't have much direct knowledge there but i get the impression it's about the same as the market for rare breeds of chicken, (except the housing & feed requirements are a bit more demanding, generally more expensive, for pheasants.) Not a huge demand for rare breeds but those who do want them will spend $$. A small scale hobbyist could focus on keeping a few quality breeding pairs of fancy birds and might make some extra money.

I haven't been on the ownership side of the gamebird business for several years so my numbers might not be totally accurate for today's costs, but I think I'm not far off. I still work for a commercial grower I'm just not on the check writing end of things anymore, thank God. It can be good money in a good year but one bad year, heck one accident/mishap/disease outbreak/etc can kill off a pile of birds and eliminate all your profit for the year. Can be a risky business if you don't have the ability to absorb losses.

 

[Tony K T]

If you look at it as a hobby that sometimes puts a few bucks in your pocket it won't hurt as much.By the time you figure out what it cost to build your pen(s),feed,grit,birds which a pair will always turn into replacing one or the other,permits if required,your time which no one figures in and whatever else you feed as treats.If your talking a big scale operation,you will over time make money at it but be ready for miscellaneous problems,such as natural disaster that may wipe out your flock,predators,etc.
Just do it for fun and feel happy when you sell some birds.
Pens do get costly and then you have upkeep on them.And if you like the ornamentals you are always adding new breeds.
In N.H.,Tony.