Game birds were once sought after for food, but now they are mostly popular for recreational hunting. Here's everything you need to know about game birds, how to raise them and how to catch them.
What is Considered a Game Bird?
Game birds are generally short, stout birds with small wings. They fly only out of necessity for escaping a nearby predator. They are the birds sought after during hunting season: pheasants, wild turkeys, quail, partridge and Mallard ducks are all game birds.
How to Catch Game Birds
Catching a wild bird can be tricky. The best way to catch a wild turkey is to sneak up on it when it is feeding or drinking. This requires a lot of patience and perfect timing. The best way to catch a duck or a goose is to use a buddy system. Have one person distract the game birds with a fox skin or another distraction, and have the others move in on the game birds while they are preoccupied. This also takes patience, as well as team work.
How to Raise Game Birds
There are many things to consider when choosing to raise game birds and it goes beyond financial planning and investment. You'll need a good plan for the cages and how you will set it up to house the game birds safely and effectively. Then you need to make sure the conditions are right for reproduction. Things to consider include: creating the right temperature, getting the right level of humidity, turning the eggs, sanitizing the cages and ventilating the cages for a healthy living environment.
For successful incubation and hatching of game birds, their housing should be maintained at 99-100 degrees with a humidity level of 57-60 degrees. They need fresh air for healthy reproduction. Their cages need to be thoroughly and properly sanitized regularly. They also need to have their eggs turned to prevent the embryo from getting pinned between the yolk and the shell.
Maintaining the Health of Game Birds
Nothing could be worse for your hatchery than to have a widespread illness among your game birds. Common diseases for game birds include Avian bird flu, coccidiosis (parasites in the digestive track), blackhead and round worms. Feed with medication is an effective method for treating ill game birds. The same medicine that is used for poultry is another effective method for treating sick game birds.
