The brightly colored Ring-Neck pheasant is a larger Game bird that is not native to North America. But since it’s introduction in Willamette Valley Oregon in the 1880’s it has come to be the most sought out Game Bird to hunt each year. It’s size can be upwards of 4 lbs. the brightly colored plumage of the rooster pheasant will excite any hunter out in the field when it pops up and takes flight in a flurry and has the speed to out run even some of the best of Us.

The Pheasant species that the ring Neck is a part of also has a species in it called the Gallus gallus, or Red Junglefowl, In layman’s terms this is known as a chicken. Even though the Ring-Neck and The Chicken are akin to each other their characteristics are as different as night and Day from a hunting point of view. But let me tell you this if you ever come across a chicken that can fly with the power and speed of a Ring-Neck Don’t shoot it capture it and Bring it to Albert at Prairie Game birds and He will see about hatching out some of these unique birds.

There are strong populations of Ring-Neck Pheasants that survive from year to year and do continue to expand but it is tough for them here on this side of the world. The temperate climate of their native Asian habitat is more suited for the sustaining of and expansion of populations of Ring-Necks. In America If you take the time to corollate the temperate zones here that most closely match the temperate zones in Asia where the Ring-Neck Originated you will be pleased with the large populations of Ring-Necks you find in the wild to hunt.

In America Millions of Ring-Neck Pheasants are raised each year in captivity and are ready to be released in a multitude of ways to suit the different hunting Styles. At Prairie Game Birds we are a small but growing part of this yearly process.  Our Ring-necks are created in our closed flock, from breeding to incubation, nurturing to large flight pens we ready the birds with our goal being to give the birds we raise a fighting chance to outfly the skillful eye of any hunter. According to our repeat customers a fair number of our birds do win.

So what does it take to raise a Ring-Neck from Breeding to a Hearty Adult? Patients and Constant Vigilance at every step in the process the birds grow through.

Breeding: That sounds easy put a rooster in with a harem of females and just gather the eggs. Yea okay, first off Pheasants are scrappers and cannibals’. While breeding if the male is not to the females liking they can constantly pick at him, The weather, Hungry varmints there are many threats that can happen to your limited number of breeders that will have an effect on the total for the season.

Incubation: I want my egg perfectly cooked over easy every time. That is Incubation, the right heat, The right humidity, the proper turning, the proper length of time has to be perfect every time or that 1000 eggs you have in the incubator turn out hard boiled.

Brooding: 800 to 1000 little birds in a soft straw lined room, the temperature of the entire floor of the room has to be equal, constant and the room quiet to keep their stress levels down. If anything is off just a little the little birds will pile on top of each other and the birds on the bottom do not fair very well at all.

The open Air Pen: Time to introduce your young birds to the real world, Open the door to their 80 degree brooder house and hopefully it is not too cold or wet out side to keep them from getting climatized. Even at this stage if they go out , but come back in cold or wet and they could pile that night to try to get warm. I have already covered the results of piling.

Getting ready for the flight pens: As I stated earlier Pheasants are Scrappers and Cannibals’. To offset this behavior you have to put a blinder on each bird. This method eliminates most of the out of control scrapping amongst the birds but not all.

Letting them go in the flight pens: Is actually a proud moment here at the farm because the birds that have made it this far in the process are going to be hearty and Impressive hard flying Pheasants ready for the Hunters to pick up this fall.

This Process: As the season progresses every step of the process has birds being moved through it. This happens from start to finish all at once 8 to 10 times during the season.

Hunting Season Opens: When a hunter comes to get his birds and sees all the pheasants in a pen most of them get jittery because they have never been so close to a Pheasant that is not trying to get away from them out in the field or that many of them. It is truly an experience for most. On Occasion Albert lets a person come into the pen and help him catch their birds. Now you are entering another realm in your Pheasant Hunting Experience. Because shooting one out in the field is nothing like trying to catch one in very large, high top flight pen. Any person that experiences this has a new appreciation for the cunning nature and powerful flight abilities of a Ring-Neck Pheasant. A 4 lb Pheasant with a full head of steam with a blinder on hitting you in the back of the head is an eye opening experience.

So When You Pick Up Pheasants: You now have an idea of the labor that goes into the raising of each Pheasant each year so that Prairie Game Birds Has feisty fast flying Ring Neck Pheasants available for opening Day of Hunting Season. If I would share with you the costs involved you would be wondering why these Ring-Neck Pheasants cost so little.

Happy Hunting

Johnny