No idea what K-thunder pheasants are. You can call the Game Commission and ask them what the sq footage per bird they require for a pheasant propagation permit.

They are a smaller type of Ringneck Pheasants that give a lot of action and are quite quick..

Thank you, learn something new every day.

Never heard of them either. Thanks Phil!

so now that I have raised quail, I'm going to upgrade to pheasants. I'm going to have a 12.5 ft by 25 ft pen and have it about 12.5 feet high. I chose this size because I can get 1 roll of 12.5x150 foot 1 inch netting. how deep do I have to bury the chicken wire to stump the predators. and btw I caught a nice red fox in a trap by my quail pen trying to get my quail. my last question; I want to be able to have their sole ration to be cracked corn that I throw out for them to forage in and that would help them be more wild. my plan is that I will raise 30 to 8 weeks where I have heard that they can survive better the younger they are. I and going to release 25. and keep the others, breed them, and do the same thing for as many years as it takes to have a somewhat good population. I am hoping that some will live and be able to teach the newly released ones what to do. slowly I am going to raise more and more. any help is greatly appreciated.

sincerely,
pheasantshooter

Rather than going deep straight down IMHO the best way is to go down at least 12"-18" and then out 3' at that depth with the wire and cover it. That way an animal will have to dig down and then horizontal that far before they can get into the pen. That will probably be difficult for an animal to do in just one night and if any attempts are made to get into the pen I would think you would know it before it got any birds.

I agree with what Topgun told you regarding burying the wire. The following is what the PGC requires for people who participate in their day old chick program so far as the sq feet of space required for the covered pens and brooder house for bird health and to reduce cannibalism. I recommend you do not go less than what is specified below. You would need at least twice the sq footage than you plan for 30 birds. Additionally, the Game Commission requires that the birds be released at 12 weeks of age, 8 weeks is a little young. I also recommend you contact a pheasant breeder or the wildlife management unit of the PGC in HBG and ask what they feed the birds. When I was still dealing with delievering pheasant crumbles to cooperating sportsman's clubs they fed a medicated food for a while because disease can spread very quickly through birds crowded in an enclosure. After the chicks are off mash and on larger food, feeding food specifically made for growing pheasants will provide a lot more of the nutrients that the growing birds will need to grow well and to feather up nice. Cracked corn will not provide enough nutrients for growing birds. I am glad your quail project worked out and wish you luck in your pheasant endeavor and if you want a name and phone number of someone involved in raising pheasants on the PGC game farms contact me and I will get you a contact person and phone number. Something else you should give serious consideration is to plant a tall grass that is at least a foot high before you put the birds in the flight pen and keep all human contact to a minimum, rig your water troughs or pans with a hose so you don't have to go in the pen every day to fill it. the less human contact, the wilder the birds.



To be eligible to receive pheasant chicks, all applicants are required to have a minimum of 25 square feet of covered pen space available per chick.

In addition, 1/2 square foot (72 sq. inches) of floor space is recommended in the brooder building per chick. This promotes a healthy environment and reduces cannibalism.


Organizations should not release pheasants until the birds are 12 weeks of age or more.

Pheasant chicks can be raised at the cooperators facility or by a designated caretaker with the proper facilities.

Maximum returns will result by releasing pheasants as close to the opening of small game season as possible and no later than the end of the second week of the season.

this is not the day old chick program. I am going to buy the chicks by myself, and raise them myself, and release them at 8 weeks. I would like to know if I need a propagators permit to raise 30 of them. I was going to get them from delps hatchery. and thanks for the info about the burying part, and the sq footage.

I understand you are not in the day old chick program. However, the size of the pens is the same if you are in the program or doing it on your own. I copied and pasted the PGC's requirements because that is what you should have to be successful in raising pheasants. You are of course free to crowd the birds but you will pay a price for it. You do not need a propagators permit unless you are selling or giving away your birds. No permit is required to raise and release birds on your property. I gave you the information I did because I want you to be successful in raising your pheasants, not because you had to do what I posted, but because it is the best road to success. If you want to release at eight weeks, there is nothing to prevent you from doing it, however, the birds will be better prepared to survive at 12 weeks.

ok thnks oldtimr, I will keep them to 12 weeks then. I wasn't going to put blinders on them because I thought it would make them wilder, and I figure that raising less in a good fashion is way better than raising a lot in a bad fashion. anyway, thanks for the advice. and ill do that