Flight Pen

[PSUQuailer]

My dad and i are going to raise some ringneck pheasants to hunt on our neighbors property that have about 300 acres of open fields.  I just had a few questions:
1.  How far apart should i place the poles along the perimeter of the pen?
2.  If it is warm enough outside can they come in and out at 4-6 weeks if  they still 
     have heat lights?
3.  What should i do to attach the netting to the ground?
4.  What kind of cover is best for them?

                                                                              Thanks,
                                                                                   Ryan S.           

[sugar run gamebirds]

ok

 1)  how big it your pen going to be.  10' apart is how we space ours.
 2)  if it is warm outside then they can stay outside starting at 5 weeks.we stop using any kind of heat by then.
 3)are you using netting or fencing?we bury our fencing about 18 inches in the ground.and place a fencing barrier on the inside of the pen cause they wll dig very big holes next to the fencing.
 4) cover you might as well forget it they will plow down anything you have in there just build them a shelter to go under to get out of the heat or rain if they want to.


        Lenny
Sugar Run Gamebirds

[PSUQuailer]

Thanks for the reply.  We were going to raise roughly 50-75 ringnecks.  I have heard as low as 15-20 sq. ft. per bird up to 20-25 sq. ft. per bird.  I know bigger is better, but which is more economical.

                                                                        Ryan S.

[maplesummitgamebirds]

Here at the farm we use 18-20 square feet per bird with 20 being optimal. We also use peepers/bliders/specks as well to deter feather pulling/pecking. We set our posts 10 feet apart and bury our fencing(1" PVC coated chicken wire) a foot in the gound and a foot out like a L underground. Top net we use 2" heavy knotted nylon netting. As far as cover if you plant corn, sorgum, sunflowers, or a similar seed early and have it 1/2"-1" round by the time you let the birds out it will continue to grow and provide good cover. We also plant oats and wheat in with our corn and sorgum and they seem to hit that first and it gives the corn and sorgum more time to grow. We do not put our birds out until 5-6 weeks old. At 1 week old we start to lower the temp of the brooders and by 5-6 weeks the temp in the brooder is within 10 degrees of outside so we just shut them off or put the birds in the outside pens. Make sure you have plenty of feeder space and feed at all times for the birds as well as water. They will get very agressive if food or water is absent for more than a couple of hours. Good luck. I buy all my fencing/netting from 3T products, they are the cheapest I have found and are very helpful.
www.3tproducts.com