The Rural Voice, 2000-10, Page 23Domesticated ring -neck pheasants
never become tame, and they have
spurs at the back of their legs and
sharp beaks to protect themselves.
When people approach, they head for
the cover of heavy pen vegetation.
The six flight pens, each
measuring about 50 feet by 150
feet and covering about one
acre, are planted every spring with
sunflowers, rape, kale and other
grains such as oats and barley. This
pen crop grows up to six feet high to
provide protection from rain and
sleet.
Winter is the hardest time.
Because the pheasants huddle in cold
weather, they can be smothered by
snow drifts and can't break loose if
the crust becomes too thick and hard.
Cut evergreens or cedar trees are used
for shelter in the winter when sleet
and heavy snow are the birds' worst
enemy. "I buy evergreen trees on
Boxing Day," Tom mentions. "As
long as the trees don't have tinsel on
them they are fine for cover."
Jackson sends out about three
thousand birds a year. One load of
ring -neck pheasants ready for market
goes out about the end of October
and another will go in February.
After spring planting, another load
will be ordered. At present, he
doesn't have his own incubators or
breeding stock, but he merely raises
or custom -feeds them.
Flight pens allow the pheasants
to exercise their wings, a
necessary skill for hunting birds.
At delivery to market, birds are
about 18 to 20 weeks old.
Live hens and roosters are shipped
separately to packing plants or to
game farms, usually five birds to a
cage.
Pheasant is a delicacy, tasting like
turkey but much more costly. "We
have it for a special dinner with our
friends, such as Thanksgiving," says
Tom. Pheasant meat fetches $6 to $8
a pound locally.
In the fall, full-grown pheasants
are shipped to local game farms, to
Pelee Island and to Michigan.
At dawn on game farms, as soon
as pheasants are released, they are
hiding in the tall corn, sorghum and
rye grass. Game farms pheasants
sometimes escape into the wild but
since they don't survive the winter
storms in large numbers, raising birds
is an ongoing pastime.
If you want to buy a pair to stock
your farm, you can do this for about
$25 a pair or you could buy five hens
and a rooster for about $45.
Although raising game fowl isn't a
new farming enterprise, Tom Jackson
suggests that looking out for
pheasants is a fun way of earning
your living and raising them is
helping nature out as wel1.0
RIVER
PHEASANT
GAME FARM
Game Bird Hunting Preserve
Live and dressed Pheasants
Dressed Chukars, Quail and
Wild Turkey
Hatchery
RR #7, Lucknow, Ont., NOG 2H0
519-529-7855
MORRIS SACHS
SILO
CONSTRUCTION
SILO ACCESSORIES
SILOS DISMANTLED,
REBUILT AND REPAIRS
363-3900
R R #1
Elmwood. Ont.
NOG 1S0
FALL CATTLE SALES
AT KEADY LIVESTOCK
Tuesdays Oct. 2 to Dec. 19 @ 10:00 a.m.
1000 - 1200 local calves and stockers each
day
Friday, Oct. 6 & Oct. 13 0 10:00 a.m. 1000 -
1500 yearling steers & heifers each day,
selling ONS
Friday, Oct. 20 0 10:00 a.m.
1200-1500 vaccinated presorted Charolais
calves ONS
Friday, Oct. 27 0 10:00 a.m. 1200-1500
vaccinated presorted calves featuring
Limousin, Simmental, Blonde, Hereford and
Angus, including Bluewater Angus, selling
ONS
Friday, Nov. 3 0 10:00 a.m.
1200 - 1500 vaccinated presorted Charolais
calves ONS
Friday, Nov. 10 0 10:00 a.m.
1000. 1500 yearling steers and heifers selling
ONS
Wednesday, Nov. 15 0 7:00 p.m.
300 Blk & Bwf heifers (Sask. origin) bred
Limousin
Friday, Nov. 17 010:00 a.m.
1000 - 1500 vaccinated preweaned presorted
calves ONS
Friday, Nov. 24 ® 7:00 p.m.
Bred heifer and cow sate
RR 4, Tara, ON NOH 2N0
519-934-2339
OCTOBER 2000 19