Newbie Trying to Breed/Raise Ringneck Pheasants and Bobwhites

[Newb]

Hello,

I'd like to breed and raise some ringneck pheasants and quail to populate 70 acres of grasslands with random tree lines. The propety is surrounded by crop fields.

I have never done this but would like to keep a pretty small operations. Maybe only 5 or so breeders and hopefully get a couple hundred chicks per season. Is that possible?

I'm looking for tips or links to cheap/easy/effective construction of a breeding pen and pen to raise them. I have a brooder with heat lamp that is occasionally used for chickens. At what age can I just let the chicks free, I'd like to let them go as early as possible? What are some tips for keeping them wild?

Any other tips or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[hawkeye]

all depending where you are you may need a permit to keep over a certain # here in Michigan you can keep 12 but i don't think you can realeas them without a permit.

 

[ericsplls]

I would think you would need at least one good flight pen. For quail I can buy day olds here for 25 cent a piece so it wouldn't be worth it to me to keep breeders going. Also for small scale you will constantly be brooding and moving chicks around since you don't want to keep alot of birds that are three weeks old with day olds etc. It may be easier to get one big shipment brood them and be done with it. You also might want to keep a few feeders with some protection from predators scattered around the property. The best way to keep them wild is to give them as little contact with humans as possible. My neighbor raises them for plantations to hunt and has flight pens and tarps aroung the bottom six foot to keep them from seeing him. Also use auto feed and water systems to minimize human contact. The wildest birds see humans when they are moved from the brood pens to the flight men then when the are trapped and moved to crates for transport to the plantations. They still don't compare to wild birds but are as close as you can get.