1. pets
2. birds

How to Make Money Raising Chukar Partridge
by Carl G. Kline, MBA
Foreword
The chukar partridge comes from Central Asia It has rapidly become a leading game and food bird in the
United States since an early release was made in California in 1932. The demand for this gentle and
easily raised bird has grown swiftly since that time. Chukars are now being used on shooting preserves;
in restaurants; for dog training and trials; for stocking; and for most other uses made of game birds.
Some shooting preserves report the demand for chukar by hunters, is equal to that of the Ringneck
Pheasant. Several states have been raising and releasing chukars for years. Most large game bird
breeders now raise them to satisfy a rapidly growing demand.
Copyright 1979, 2002 by Carl G. Kline - All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Published in the United States by:
NCR, Inc. 3939 Eagle St. #306 San Diego, CA 92103
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STARTING WITH CHUKARS
3
BREEDING STOCK
4
SELECTION OF BREEDING STOCK ...................................................................................4
SEXING CHUKARS ...........................................................................................................4
CARE OF BREEDING STOCK ............................................................................................5
CAGE CONFINEMENT OF BREEDERS ...............................................................................5
BREEDING RATIOS ..........................................................................................................5
RECOMMENDED GROUP SIZE .........................................................................................6
CHANGING BREEDERS ....................................................................................................6
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TO INCREASE EGG PRODUCTION......................................................6
EGGS
8
CARE AND STORAGE OF EGGS..............................................................................8
INCUBATION
8
TYPES OF INCUBATORS ..........................................................................................8
USING THE INCUBATOR...................................................................................................9
VENTILATION ...............................................................................................................10
CANDLING EGGS ...........................................................................................................10
CAUSES OF POOR HATCHES ................................................................................11
CHUKAR CHICKS
12
TYPES OF BROODERS ....................................................................................................12
BROODING CHUKAR CHICKS .......................................................................................13
USING THE FLOOR STARTING SYSTEM .........................................................................14
REARING CHUKARS
15
FEED GUIDE BY AGE ....................................................................................................15
WIRE FLOORED PENS ...................................................................................................16
PREVENTING ESCAPE ...................................................................................................17
WING CLIPPING ............................................................................................................17
PINIONING ....................................................................................................................18
BRAILING ......................................................................................................................18
TAPING .........................................................................................................................18
DO’S AND DON’TS .........................................................................................................18
DEBEAKING AND CANNIBALISM ...................................................................................19
1
DISEASE AND PARASITES
21
PREVENTION AND CONTROL .........................................................................................21
BLACKHEAD..................................................................................................................22
PARASITES ....................................................................................................................22
ECTOPARASITES ...........................................................................................................23
COCCIDIOSIS.................................................................................................................23
CHUKAR RELEASE PROGRAMS
24
TYPE OF RELEASE AREAS .............................................................................................24
RECALL ........................................................................................................................24
MARKETING TIPS
25
SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
26
AGENCIES .....................................................................................................................26
BOOKS ..........................................................................................................................26
PERIODICALS ................................................................................................................26
ASSOCIATIONS ..............................................................................................................27
WEB SITES ....................................................................................................................27
APPENDIX
28
SAMPLE BUDGETS.........................................................................................................28
RELATIVE HUMIDITY TABLE ........................................................................................30
INCUBATOR FUMIGATION TABLE .................................................................................31
PEN FOR BIRDS SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS ..........................................................................31
PEN FOR BIRDS EIGHT TO FOURTEEN WEEKS ..............................................................31
FLIGHT CONDITIONING PEN 14 WEEKS OR OLDER ......................................................32
FEED CHART BY INGREDIENT .......................................................................................32
NUTRITION....................................................................................................................33
SOURCES OF INCUBATORS.............................................................................................34
RECYCLING CHUKAR BREEDERS ..................................................................................35
FEED FORMULAS ..........................................................................................................36
HATCHING TROUBLE SHOOTING ..................................................................................38
Q & A: CONTAMINATION OF HATCHING EGGS ...........................................................39
RECIPES
41
2
RAISING CHUKAR PARTRIDGE
STARTING WITH CHUKARS
Most game bird farms will sell you breeding stock, eggs, or day old chicks. However it is
more economical to start with chicks or fertile eggs if only one or two groups are planned
for the season.
Buy with care whether you select eggs, day old chicks, or mature breeding stock. Before
buying, consider the reputation of the farm and seller, history of the parent flock,
conformation of the bird to the particular characteristics of chukars, and uniformity of
chicks, eggs, or mature stock. Are the birds blood tested for pullorum and other diseases?
Has the seller been in business for a long time? Evidence of the sellers having been in
business for several years and having a good disease prevention program is often
evidence of a good quality product.
Whatever way you choose to start raising chukars, be prepared. Read this publication and
any others available to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the techniques and methods
of raising this very interesting and beautiful bird. Get your equipment, pens, and other
facilities ready. Line up a source for feed, medications, and other necessary items. Have
an idea of what you intend to do with your birds at what point. Plans and planning are fun
and do not have to be inflexible.
3
BREEDING STOCK
SELECTION OF BREEDING STOCK
To a great extent, the traits you must look for, when selecting breeders is determined by
your market. If your goal is to raise meat birds for the restaurant trade, your goal will be
heavy, fast developing birds. If you are aiming at the market for hunting birds, the goal
should be good feathering and fast flying birds. With your goal in mind, your next step
will be to look at the traits necessary for good breeding stock.
Check for size, shape, and color conformation. Breeding stock with off colors, odd
shapes or sizes will carry these undesirable traits to their offspring. As mentioned earlier,
when purchasing breeders or other items, get them from a reputable bird farm and, if
possible, one that has an active disease prevention management program, keeps records,
and has been in business for a good amount of time. Bargain birds usually end up being
very expensive. If necessary, pay a little more for quality breeder stock. Your future flock
and future success depend upon these first few birds that you will be purchasing.
If you have purchased eggs or chicks and are going to select your breeders from them,
don’t be afraid to cull the poor ones at selection time. Keep only those birds you feel have
the stamina, feathering, and the best growth, Selection can be made any time you feel the
birds are old enough to sex.
SEXING CHUKARS
Sexing chukars is not easy. The most common method is to wait until they are 20 weeks
old and separate the sexes by external physical traits. Since the male and the female look
alike as far as shape and color is concerned it is necessary to look closely at the lesser
details. The male bird is larger and has a prominent spur. Although the female may also
show evidence of a buffon or spur it is seldom as prominent. Since this method is only
about 80% effective, it is a good idea to keep additional males to insure high fertility of
eggs.
A more accurate, but difficult, method was developed by Thomas Siopes, at the
University of California in 1971. This technique necessitates cloacal examination of the
genital protuberance or sex organ. The sex organs of the males are cone shaped and vary
in size. In the female, the sex organ is flat and small or absent completely. Since most
errors in determining the sex with this method occurs when the male is mistaken for a
female it is a good idea to keep extra females to insure the desired number of eggs The
method is said to be 95% accurate and can be used on chukars from day old to adult. The
use of a magnifying glass and lots of patience is recommended. To sex chicks with this
method, pick them up with the head and neck between the middle and index finger.
Apply gentle pressure with the thumb on the lower abdomen to evert the cloaca and clear
any manure. Once the cloaca is everted, examine it in a good light with a magnifying
glass. The male will show a small sex organ on the ventral rim of the vent. It will be
either cone or heart shaped The females will show no change in the ventral rim or
occasionally a small, flat fold will be noted.
Be patient, as these techniques are not easy but will become so with practice and time. At
4
first you will find little or no apparent difference in the male or female chukar. With
practice and close observation, however, either sexing by the use of external physical
traits or through cloacal examination will become second nature.
CARE OF BREEDING STOCK
In climates that tend to be severe in the winter, it is best to keep the potential breeders in
groups of 20 or more per pen This allows them to group together for warmth during cold
weather. Use wire-floored pens, if possible, and place wind barriers or drop curtains
along the bottom of the shelter area to avoid drafts. The chukars can also be held in pens
at floor level on clean litter, but with this set up there is more chance of disease. To
overcome this problem, frequent cleaning and preventative medication are necessary.
In the early spring when the breeders are being selected, it is a good time to blood test for
pullorum and to debeak and trim the claws of the birds to be kept for laying and breeding.
Avoiding pullorum, through blood testing, will insure better hatches and lower mortality
among the offspring. Debeaking and trimming claws will overcome excessive feather
damage and occasional mortality among the breeders. Dusting with a good lice and mite
insecticide is convenient at this time. It will save the labor of catching and handling them
again if all the dusting, debeaking, claw trimming, and breeder selection is done at the
same time. Handling during the time the birds are laying and breeding will decrease egg
production and fertility; so avoid it, if possible. Anytime after handling the birds, it is
good management to put a general purpose antibiotic in the water for a few days.
Handling causes stress and stress makes the bird susceptible to disease. Preventative
levels of medication for short periods of time will help prevent illness and deaths.
CAGE CONFINEMENT OF BREEDERS
Chukars can be kept in cages with wire floors or on the floor with clean litter. They can
be colony bred, paired, or grouped for
breeding Chukars held on the floor with litter
are more prone to have disease problems. The
eggs are more frequently broken and soiled.
Therefore, it is recommended, breeders be
caged in wire floored quarters with roll out
bottoms for convenient egg removal. These
types of cages can be made or purchased. This
will cause your initial investment in facilities
to be higher, but you will soon find the cost
returned through less disease among the
breeders and fewer broken or spoiled eggs. Money will also be saved on the medications
necessary for birds kept on the ground. Those on wire floors will need less preventive and
curative treatments with drugs.
BREEDING RATIOS
Breeders can be mated in pairs; they are often bred in small flocks. Good fertility can
also be obtained with 1:2 and 1:3 ratios. One male to three females will result in over
80% fertility. With careful selection and culling, many large breeding farms can use a 1:4
5
ratio and still maintain over 80% fertility. Chukar males sometimes fail to reach sexual
maturity, so it is recommended that good records of fertility be maintained on each group
if they are caged in groups of four or five, where this is possible. This record can be kept
by marking with a lead pencil the cage number on each egg taken from that cage. This
number will enable you to count the number of unhatched eggs from that cage after the
hatch is completed. Be sure and break each unhatched egg after the hatch to be certain the
problem is fertility. A chart with the cage number of each group can be kept to determine
which hens are not producing up to standard.
Colony breeding is where all breeders or several groups are kept in one large cage. This
method makes it harder to spot the poor male or female breeder through record keeping.
Breeding chukars in pairs in separate cages is not necessary and only increases caging
costs; but with good record keeping this method makes it very easy to spot poor breeders.
However, the trade off between extra cage costs and additional fertility gained is minimal
and with most larger breeding flocks is not profitable.
RECOMMENDED GROUP SIZE
A recommended group with cages for each group would be three males with nine females
in each cage. The cage should have a minimum of 60 square inches of floor space and 16
inches of head room to insure that a natural breeding position can be achieved by the
chukars. By sloping the floors and leaving a slot with an egg catch on the lower side of
the slope, the eggs will roll out and be easy to collect. This will also lessen egg damage.
This type of cage is commonly used for quail and chicken breeding for this reason.
CHANGING BREEDERS
Many larger chukar propagators change breeders every season, but this is not necessary
for the small flock owner. However, to avoid inbreeding, it is recommended that you try
to avoid mating brothers and sisters unless there is some desirable trait you wish to
perpetuate. Inbreeding causes reduction of hatchability and egg production. With some
record keeping and colored or numbered leg bands, the small flock owner can easily
avoid inbreeding. For further insurance against poor hatchability and egg production from
inbreeding, you can change male breeders every second or third generation by the
purchase of, or trading for, new males. Another way used to avoid inbreeding is the
purchase of a group of new chicks or eggs from which future breeders can be selected to
be mated with your own flock.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TO INCREASE EGG PRODUCTION
Using artificial light to increase egg production periods is called “recycling”. It is easy to
employ and commonly used by commercial game breeders involved with Chukar
Recycling is used to induce the birds to have laying cycles several times a year. If you
choose to use artificial lighting, first consider your facilities, weather conditions, and
market or purpose for the Chukar eggs or offspring. If you are located in an area where
heating your breeding, hatching, and brooding building would be necessary for winter
operation, it may prove uneconomical to pay for fuel to heat the facility. With this in
mind, you will probably want to avoid recycling the Chukar breeders beyond the normal
summer cycle.
6
Using artificial lighting to start the birds early and keep them laying longer in their egg
production cycle will be something that you will want to consider, however. By doing
this you will achieve higher egg production with fewer birds and therefore save expenses
through the use of less birds and fewer cages.
First, your chukars should be at least 30 weeks old before being brought into egg
production with artificial lights. Next, set up a 60 watt bulb near the cage of chokers and
expose them to a 14 to 16 hour period of light each day. If they are in an area where they
receive outside light, it will only be necessary to extend the period of light with the bulb.
If they have no other form of light, the bulb will have to be kept on the full time. Using
an inexpensive timer will insure the correct amount of light at the same time daily if it is
set correctly. To insure the best fertility light the males for two weeks prior to introducing
the females into the group. Continue to light the group for the entire laying period. It will
take about three weeks before the hens begin to lay, but they can be made to lay several
weeks longer by the use of artificial lighting. If your lighting program is started in early
spring, the artificial lighting can be reduced as the day grows longer naturally, but avoid a
rapid reduction of length of day. Make sure the lighting time remains 14 t& 16 hours or
the birds can be thrown into an early moult and will cease to lay. Discontinue the
artificial light when egg production decreases to a point where it is no longer economical
to gather and incubate the eggs.
In the event your desire is to breed chukars during the off season rather than simply
extend the length of their natural laying season, the following information should be
studied with care.
The chukars used should be over 30 weeks old, as mentioned before. Also, light the
males 2 weeks earlier than the females. Now, set up a schedule of three 10-week
production periods in one year. The following chart illustrates the light schedule for
recycling chukars
Step 1 10 weeks
16 hours light, 8 hours dark
Step 2 11 weeks
Males - 6 weeks of 8 hours light, 16 hours dark; followed by
five weeks of restricted (graduaIly increasing) light.
Step 3 10 weeks
F Females - 8 weeks of 8 hours light; 16 hours dark followed
by three weeks of restricted (gradually increasing) light. 16
hours light, 8 hours dark.
Step 4 11 weeks
Repeat Step 2
Step 5 10 weeks
Repeat Step 3.
Restricted light periods are the times when you can gradually reverse the 8 hours of light
verses the 16 hours of dark. See the Appendix for the recycling diagram to further clarify
the schedule recommended.
7
EGGS
CARE AND STORAGE OF EGGS
On the average, a chukar hen will lay 30 to 40 eggs per season if the eggs are removed
daily. In order to maximize hatches from these eggs, their treatment and care is very
important.
First, chukar eggs can be held longer than other game bird eggs before hatchability is
decreased They can be held under the right conditions for as long as 4 weeks before
hatchability begins to decrease rapidIy. With most game bird eggs, hatchability decreases
very rapidly after two weeks in storage. However, studies show that the best time to set
the chukar egg is when it is 3 weeks or less old.
Eggs should be gathered frequently; at least twice per day during hot or wet weather.
They should be stored with the small point down in an open egg tray, flat, or carton, after
they are cleaned. Cleaning should not include washing. Washing removes an invisible
protective coating and introduces harmful bacteria into the egg. Use fine sandpaper and
lightly brush off clinging dirt. Discard very dirty eggs as they can contaminate other eggs
they are held with. Cracked or broken eggs can be used in the kitchen if no foreign
material has been introduced into the egg.
Eggs should be stored at a temperature of 55° F. plus or minus
3° F. The wet bulb temperature or humidity should be in the 50
to 60° F. range. If you plan: to set the eggs in an incubator
before they are 14 days old, no turning of the stored eggs is
necessary. After 14 days, turning of the eggs has a slight
beneficial effect on hatchability. Turning can be accomplished
quite simply by putting a 4 inch block of wood under one end
of the egg flat and moving it to the opposite end the following
day.
INCUBATION
TYPES OF INCUBATORS
There are many sizes of incubators for the artificial hatching of eggs. Several methods are
used for heating the eggs. Various trays and turning devices, both automatic and manual,
as well as several methods for maintaining the desired humidity are available. But, all
artificial incubators fall into two general categories.
One category is the still-air incubator. This type has no
circulation device to move the air and humidity in the
machine. Most small hobby incubators fall into this
category. An incubator without a circulation device or fan is
usually referred to as a still-air incubator regardless of the
trays, capacity, turning devices, etc.
Small still air incubator
8
The other broad category of
incubators is usually referred to as the forced~air type. This machine has some system or
device to circulate the warm humid air.
There is a low key controversy as to which type does the best job of hatching. Most large
hatcheries used the forced air incubator. Whatever type of incubator you have, it will do
only as good a job of
hatching as you do.
Poor
attention
to
temperature,
humidity, sanitation, and
other principals of
good hatching management
will result in poor
hatches. Learn all you can
about your type and
style
of
incubator;
Experiment
with
small batches of eggs;
become thoroughly
familiar with it and then try
hatching your eggs.
USING THE INCUBATOR
After thoroughly cleaning
and disinfecting the
incubator, turn it on and run
it for one or two days
prior to setting your first
group of eggs. (See
Fumigation in the Appendix).
Check
the
temperature and humidity
frequently and make
the necessary adjustments. The chukar eggs will be in the incubator for 21 days before
being moved to the hatcher for the final 3 to 4 days before hatching. The usual time
necessary to hatch chukar eggs is 24 days but most hatcheries leave the eggs in for an
additional day to allow any late hatching chicks to come out.
The following daily temperature and humidity schedule is recommended in lieu of
manufacturer instructions. If a schedule is provided with your incubator it may not
include directions for hatching chukar eggs; but if a schedule is provided, follow their
directions.
FORCED AIR INCUBATORS
Days In Incubator
Temperature(°F)
Dry Bulb
Wet Bulb
Temperature(°F)
Temperature(°F)
0 to 2l
99.5
86 to 87
22
99.0
88 to 90
23 to 25
98.5
88 to 90
Still air incubators should be run at a dry bulb temperature of 102°F. or 103°F. Keep the
wet bulb temperature the same as for forced air incubators.
In the event your incubator does not have a separate hatching chamber simply change the
incubator temperature and humidity to conform to the above chart and stop turning the
9
eggs after the 21st day of incubation. The newly hatched chicks are very active and some
provision may have to be made to keep them from jumping out of the egg tray. In some
incubators this will not be necessary but in others a piece of screen or hardware cloth may
be placed over the eggs just before they hatch.
VENTILATION
Ventilation is important to good hatches. Pay attention to the instructions regarding vent
control given in the instructions that came with your incubator f they are available.
In lieu of instructions by the manufacturer, the usual procedure is to open the vents about
one quarter or less during the first half of the incubation cycle. Usually vents are opened
wider during the last half of the incubation period. Then during the last three days before
actual hatching, additional ventilation is important and the vents may be opened wider.
Specifics regarding ventilation are very difficult because of the various factors involved.
The temperature and humidity in the incubator room, the reduction of temperature and
humidity inside the incubator, and the specific time of the incubator period are variables
that must be taken into consideration when adjusting the vents during the incubation
period.
The best advice regarding ventilation is to experiment with your particular incubator in
lieu of manufacturers instructions. Keep in mind the following facts when you’re
experimenting. The chicks need more air and higher humidity during the hatching period.
Incubators with large numbers of eggs packed into a small space need more ventilation,
then small or lightly loaded incubators.
Excessively opened or closed vents will alter humidity and temperature in the incubator,
so check these items frequently for a few hours after adjusting vents. When checking the
hatch, chicks which appear to be panting or show signs of air starvation may not be
getting enough air and the ventilation should be increased.
CANDLING EGGS
The twenty-first day of incubation, when the eggs are transferred to the hatcher, is
probably the best time to candle eggs.
Candling the eggs to remove those that
are infertile or have dead germs gives
valuable information and eliminates
the waste of space used by incubating
unhatchable eggs. Under commercial
conditions, candling is usually done
only at the time the eggs are
transferred to the hatching trays or
hatcher on the twenty-first day.
However, they may be checked on the
seventh to ninth day and/or upon being
transferred. Infertile eggs appear clear,
free of spots, and have a free-floating yolk fairly regular in outline. Eggs containing dead
embryos will show less development than others. The yolks may appear irregular in
10
outline, have a blood ring, or a stuck embryo or yolk, and usually do not have the reddish
appearance observed in normal growing embryos. Eggs containing strong embryos will
have the reddish appearance and development will be advanced compared to normal eggs
at the time the eggs are candled. The embryo will be free floating and the spider webbed
condition caused by the blood vessels will be observed.
Candling devices can be homemade by using a coffee
can, an extension cord with a bulb, and a wood or
cardboard cover with an oval hole. Put the bulb and
socket in the can, running the extension cord out a
small hole in the bottom of the can, and place the
cardboard or wood top on it. Place the egg over the
oval shaped hole, which should be small enough to
keep light from escaping from around the egg.
Commercially made candlers are also available.
Eggs that are candled out, as well as unhatched eggs left after the twenty-fifth day should
be broken open to confirm or diagnose the cause of not hatching. This procedure will
result in better future hatches and will help you in becoming effective in candling eggs.
CAUSES OF POOR HATCHES
•
Continuous disturbances of breeders during breeding season
lower fertility.
•
Too many hens per male chukar.
•
Unfit, crippled, or unthrifty breeding stock.
•
Using eggs from old breeders.
•
Improper breeder diet.
•
Extensive inbreeding.
•
Failure to turn eggs.
•
Not allowing stored eggs to reach room temperature before placing in the
incubator.
•
Holding eggs in storage too long.
•
Improper storage conditions.
•
Washing eggs.
•
Poor sanitation and failure to clean incubator or hatcher.
•
Improper temperature and wide variations during incubation and hatching.
11
resulting in
•
Improper ventilation
CHUKAR CHICKS
TYPES OF BROODERS
There are several types of brooding devices. One type involves a single or multiple bulb
holder that hangs over the area the chicks are to be brooded in. Another similar type is
propane natural gas powered and is used in a similar manner to the electric bulb brooder.
There are single and multiple level brooders
called battery brooders where the chicks are
started on wire floored cages with attached
feeding and watering pans. The heat source for
this type are
usually electric.
Brooding
situations range
from regular 100
watt bulbs on
extension cords
hung down in
boxes to elaborate rooms that are kept at the required
heat. Your set up will depend upon the size of the group of chicks you are brooding, the
situation or facility, and your personal desires. If you are brooding a small group of less
than 100 chukars, a battery brooder such as the one illustrated will be a good way. These
types of brooders can be stacked and a large number of chicks can be brooded by only
using a two by three foot square of floor space. The advantage of this type of brooding
system is the space saved by stacking the battery brooders. There are two drawbacks:
first, the short period of time a large group can be kept this way, usually two or three
weeks, and secondly, the need for frequent manure tray cleaning.
If space is not a problem starting the birds on clean litter on the
floor of a pen in a circle with a propane gas or electric bulb
hanging brooder, such as illustrated, has the advantage of less
chick handling and less manure cleaning. Most Commercial
game raisers use this system because of the larger bird capacity.
Three hundred fifty arid sometimes more are started in the floor
system on clean litter such as ground corn cob clean sand,
crushed sugar cane, pine needles, wood chips, etc. Never use
sawdust or newspaper The paper is slick and will cause
spraddled legs when the chukars slip on it. The sawdust will
impact the craw and gizzards of the tiny chicks when they
mistake it for feed. This will ca~se starve-out and a high
mortality Cover the litter for the first few days and sprinkle feed
on it for the first four or five days. Brooder paper, cheese cloth,
white rags or sheets are often used. The floor system is
expandable as the chicks grow and can be completely taken down after the first or second
week, depending on the weather and draft conditions in the general area of the brooding
chicks It has the further advantage of requiring less chick handling and thereby less
12
stress. A disadvantage is the higher risk of disease.
BROODING CHUKAR CHICKS
Sanitation can not be over emphasized. Thoroughly clean the facilities and equipment
Whatever brooding system you decide to use, take care to avoid contaminating the
equipment and the area while you are
working with the chicks. If you are
using old chicken equipment or have
had disease problems or have used
these facilities for other birds,
sanitation is especially necessary as
chukar chicks are very susceptible to
Coccidiosis
and
Blackhead.medications to prevent
these diseases are in order if problems
of this type existed in the place you
intend to brood the chicks. Feed can be
purchased or mixed with anticoccidiants. Some raisers prefer water
soluable drugs such as Neo-terrimycin
for Coccidiosis or Emtryl for Blackhead. But keep in mind that drugs are no substitute for
sanitation.
Watch your chicks under the brooder. If they tend to stay away from the
heat area of the brooder, they are avoiding it because the temperature is
too hot. If they huddle under the heated area or tend to pile there, the
temperature is too low. A general guideline to follow is a brooder
temperature of 95°F the first week and a 5°F. reduction each week for
Chick Waterer the following five weeks or until the brooder temperature and the
atmospheric temperatures are about the same After 4 weeks, the chukar chicks will begin
to regulate their own body temperature and will adapt to the general atmospheric
conditions over the next two weeks. When brooder heat is taken away
completely, watch the birds closely for a day or two to avoid having
the chicks pile up under the formerly heated brooder area or in
corners of the pens. This will occur more often at night than during
the day, since the temperatures tend to drop at night. It is good
management to check them in the evening before retiring and to
Chick Feeder
provide a low level heat source for a few more days if the tendency to pile is noticed.
One of the biggest killers of chicks is lack of water and food in the first week. Distribute
feed in small feeders and water fountains evenly in the brooder area. Whether they are
being brooded on wire in cages or on litter on the floor, place rough textured paper towels
or a white colored cloth over the brooder area and sprinkle feed on it. This will keep the
chicks from falling through the wire or from eating the litter on the ground. Since they
have an inborn tendency to peck, the contrasting feed will attract them. Place clean
pebbles or marbles in the water fountains where they drink to attract them and to keep
them from drowning in the water. Screen or hardware cloth can also be placed in the
waterers to reduce depth. The feeders used should provide at least four feet of trough per
13
hundred birds. Two one-gallon water fountains per hundred chicks should be provided.
By using several quart jar founts and several feeders placed around the edges of the pen
or circle you will be assured of more chicks finding feed and water.
When using a battery brooder provide at least 5 square feet per hundred birds. If using a
floor brooder system create a circle with 10 square feet with 24 inch high cardboard or
some other material that will not allow drafts. After one week, the chicks will need ½
square foot per bird until six weeks old In using battery brooders simply thin out the
chicks to meet this space requirement by putting some in another brooder, or start out
with this space per chick and save moving some after the first week. If using the floor
brooding system, remove the circle and give the birds access to the entire pen, assuming
it has sufficient floor space.
Weather conditioning the chukar will increase your survival rate. They need to be
conditioned for rain and temperature exposure. After the first week, begin water
conditioning the birds by lightly sprinkling them with water. Increase the amount of
water sprinkled on them each week until they are six weeks old and can withstand rains
when placed in open pens with minimum amounts of shelter. A light misting of the
chicks prior to their first exposure to rain will cause the birds to preen the oil gland at the
base of the tail and develop a water shedding capability.
Be careful not to over-wet the litter in the floor brooder system and avoid getting water
on the brooding equipment, especially the bulbs of an electric brooder. Some bulbs will
explode and shatter if cold water hits them. Some raisers mix a small amount of liquid
poultry insecticide with the water used to sprinkle the birds when weather conditioning.
This helps overcome the problems of lice and mites.
USING THE FLOOR STARTING SYSTEM
A dimly lighted brooding area will help overcome
cannibalism among the chicks. To enable the chicks to
find the brooder heat and the food and water, provide
light by using a small wattage green bulb on an
extension cord. It should be hung near the brooder
heater but not touching or close enough for the heat
from the brooder heater to melt the cord. Most
commercial chukar raisers use infra-red gas or electric
bulb brooder devices and place a small wattage bulb (7
1/2 to 10 watt) under it near the floor to attract the
chukar chicks. This light will help insure that the chicks
gather under the heat source rather than pile up. They will distribute themselves evenly
provided the heat is sufficient and the small bulb shows them where the heat is.
At six weeks of age the chukars are through the brooding period and can be expected to
regulate their body temperature sufficiently to adapt themselves to outside temperatures.
A single 250 watt infra-red bulb in the shelter area for a week or two more will help
prevent piling if the weather becomes abnormally cool and will give the birds a little
additional time to become conditioned.
14
Brooding temperature schedule
Age
Brooder temperature
Days
°F
Summer
Winter
1-7
90
To
95
8-14
85
To
90
5-21
80
To
85
22-28
75
To
80
29-35
70
To
75
36 to market
70
70
REARING CHUKARS
FEED GUIDE BY AGE
Feed and clean fresh water are essential at all stages of brooding and rearing. chicken
feed is too low in protein and lacks many of the necessary victims and needed by the
growing chukar. Several of the larger feed manufacturers have game bird feeds with and
without medications available. Turkey feed is also acceptable. A general guide to feed
protein content is shown in the following chart.
Age
Feed
1 day to 4 weeks
28% protein starter feed
4 weeks to 8 weeks
80 lbs. starter feed and 20 lbs. grain (24% protein)
8 weeks to 12 weeks
60 lbs. starter feed and 40 lbs. grain (20% protein)
12 weeks to 16 weeks
40 lbs. starter feed and 60 lbs. grain (16% protein)
15
16 weeks on
25 lbs. starter feed and 75 lbs. grain (14% protein)
Breeders
1 part starter feed and 1 part grain and oyster shell
(18% protein)
Whether you have the feed medicated depends upon your overall management program.
For example, if you intend to raise the birds on the ground where they are exposed to
Blackhead, having an anti-coccidiant drug mixed in the feed and putting a water soluable
drug such as Emtryl in the water is a good plan. However, after they are over six weeks
old their susceptability to Coccidiosis is lower and that medication could be discontinued.
However, you would want to continue the Emtryl in the water.
WIRE FLOORED PENS
Nearly all commercial raisers keep the growing chukar up on wire floored cages even if
they are started on the floor on litter. This method avoids Blackhead and no Erotryl
medication in the water is necessary.
Also cleaning is simplified. Overflow
from the feeders and waterers does not
cause disease in breeding areas, nor
does manure tend to pile up around
these areas causing a growing place for
harmful organisms.
Even flight conditioning pens are built
up on wire floors by many commercial
raisers. These pens are usually long
100 feet or more) and narrow (10 to 25
feet). For the wire floors, they use ½
by 1 inch welded wire, galvanized after
welding. 1 by 1 inch wire is acceptable
though. The bottom should be supported by a two by four inch board grid system. The
two by four boards should be nailed together with the two inch edge up and fastened to
posts in the ground.
The two by fours should be two to four feet off the ground and the enclosure of flight pen
should have wire walls four feet high. Again, use welded or woven wire for the walls
(hex style chicken wire will rust away rapidly) and the galvanizing should have been
applied after welding or weaving. Four foot sides will allow you to walk in the pen and
permit easier servicing of the chukars. A shelter built at one end to provide cover from
sun and rain or snow for the birds is important. The shelter, if designed correctly, will
also provide covered area in which to catch the birds. Enclose all four sides of the shelter
and put a closable door in a corner of the shelter next to the wire sides at one end of the
flight pen. To catch the birds, drive them into the shelter, close the door, shutting the
birds in and closing out most of the light, and you will have a catch pen ready to crate
birds out of. The floor of the catch pen should also be wire but the sides of this wire floor
16
should be enclosed to cut down on drafts and light. Place a protective wire or fiberglass
fence around the entire flight pen to keep cats, dogs, and other predators away from the
birds and out from under the flight pen. Wire can be used on the top of the flight pen but
most raisers have gone to a soft material netting to avoid head injuries to the birds. This
netting is generally made of plastic threads braided into cord from which the netting is
woven.
Flight conditioning is necessary for the chukar if the bird is to be hunted. Chukars raised
for meat only can be reared in less spacious pens and do not need to be flight conditioned.
The birds to be sold to hunting preserves or released for stocking or hunting should be
conditioned to flight in order to give as natural a response to the hunter as possible.
Most hunters become upset if the chukars cannot fly and are caught by the bird dog.
Chukars to be released for stocking purposes need to be able to fly to avoid predators
After releasing a chukar that is supposed to reproduce and to populate an area, it is not
only disappointing but wasteful, to have it caught and killed by a opossum, raccoon or
fox.
PREVENTING ESCAPE
The most common practice is to build pens with top
wire or netting. Some pens are built off the ground
using wire floors. Others build pens on the ground with
7 foot or higher net ceilings. Below are some of the top
net styles available.
Top netting is very strong and very flexible. Birds will
fly against it when startled. Flexibility avoids most injuries, while strength prevents
escape.
Side wire is usually a heavy weatherproof stiff fencing or hardware
cloth. Often this side wire is coated with a plastic or galvanize. The
plastic coatings generally last longer. Supports can be anything from
pipe to milled lumber to locus posts. Some raisers have located a
large enough source and use telephone poles. Most commercial flight
pens are long and not too wide. Many
of the pens enclose acres. It is common
to bury the side fence in the ground a
foot or more to prevent predators from
digging under it and getting in the pens.
Mink and weasels for example, can
squeeze through the fence, so, make sure the bottom two
feet of the side fences are a narrow gage hardware cloth if
building next to the ground. We even locate a low level electric fence around pens to
prevent mink and weasels from climbing up and through.
Other methods of preventing escape are wing clipping, pinioning, and bridling.
WING CLIPPING
Some birds are raised in pens with open tops and wing clipping is used to prevent flight.
17
To wing clip, use ordinary scissors to clip the first eight flight feathers on one wing. Do
not clip the wing closely or clip the other wing. This should be done at two weeks of age
and each two weeks after this until three or four weeks prior to release. Birds raised this
way are usually not as strong a flyer as birds raised in high-topped pens.
PINIONING
Pinioning a bird means removing the first joint of one of its wings. Pinioning
permanently destroys the ability to fly. The operation can be done at day-old using a
beak-trimming machine (debeaker), with virtually no injury to the bird. Pinioning should
only be done by a competent operator.
Pinioning is a common practice for birds raised for commercial meat production, but if
the operation is done incorrectly, the males may lose their balance when mating and the
fertility of the breeding stock may be impaired.
BRAILING
Brailing is another method of flight control. Attaching
brail or tape to the wing prevents flying. To give both
wings some exercise, change the brail or tape every 4
months.
A brail is a thin, pliable leather strap (D) cut with a
small T-shaped strap (C and B) at one end. The smaller
strap is fastened around the bird’s ‘forearm’ with a
paper clip (A). The longer section of the strap (D) is
then passed beneath the wing and pushed up between
the outermost flight feathers, before being bent back and secured with the paper fastener
(A). The ends of the paper fastener should be curved back with a pair of pliers so that
they can be bent under the fastener head. Some limited movement should be allowed to
the brailed wing. With breeders it is advisable to change the brail to the other wing about
every 4 months, to give both wings some exercise.
TAPING
Taping wings can be used as an alternative to brailing. Two lengths of 6 mm linen tape
should be laid side by side and knotted to divide the double tape into one-third and twothirds of its length. Although the long end of the tape is double instead of single, the same
technique should be used for securing the wing, as in brailing. Use a suitable knot to
locate the tape on the bird’s elbow. Tape is cheaper than leather brails. However, the life
of tapes will be shorter than brails.
DO’S AND DON’TS
•
Do clean and disinfect all areas and equipment between groups and during
the rearing of a group if it gets overly dirty.
•
Do clean and refill waterers daily and check feeders. Remove wet or dirty
18
feed and keep fresh food available to the birds at all times.
•
Do keep older and younger birds separated. Older birds are more resistant
to disease and younger birds are more susceptible. Care for younger birds
first.
•
Do avoid having people in your pens and brooder area. People can
transmit diseases, especially if they are from another bird raising place.
•
Do provide plenty of space, food, water, and floor space. Overcrowding
causes disease and cannibalism.
•
Do provide adequate ventilation and proper temperatures.
•
Don’t feed a poorly balanced diet or one with too low a protein content.
Saving money this way costs. A considerably better way to save money on
feed is to prevent waste.
•
Don’t allow rodents, wild birds, flies and other insects to consume and
contaminate feed, water, equipment and building. Fight them with proper
sanitation and pesticides.
•
Don’t leave dead or sick birds in the brooder or pen areas. Remove
promptly and determine cause of death or illness. Most states have
diagnostic laboratories that will analyze and report causes for a minor fee
or for free. Check with your vet or extension agent for the nearest one and
use it. Dispose of dead birds properly. Bury or burn.
•
Don’t miss the fun of raising birds by failing to observe them. Stopping to
look at your birds and your facilities will not only bring pleasure, but will
often allow you to see trouble spots before they become serious.
DEBEAKING AND CANNIBALISM
Cannibalism is generally not a major problem with chukars. Whereas
pheasants and some other game birds actually cannibalize each other to
the point where death occurs, the chukar is not usually this bad. Some
feather pecking will occur among chukar flocks, however. This happens
especially where they are crowded, exposed to stress through too much
disturbance, or are given feed with too low a protein content. If feather
pecking occurs, the chukar can be debeaked. It is good management to
correct the cause of feather pecking before debeaking. Debeaking
involves removal of one quarter inch of the upper beak. This can be
done with an electric debeaker or nail clippers. Electric debeakers have
19
cutting blades that are heated to cauterize the beak and stop bleeding when the debeaking
is done.
Other methods of overcoming pecking are “specs” and wire
“bits.” Specs have the advantage of leaving a full beak on the bird,
and thereby overcomes the problem of maintaining a debeaked
bird until the beak grows out enough to enable them tv eat natural
foods immediately upon release. A spec fits over the beak and a
plastic or stainless steel pin is put through the nostrils to hold it on.
It allows the bird to see only to both sides but not straight ahead.
This allows the speced bird to eat and drink as the feeder and waterer are stationary.
However, a bird being pecked tends to move away and the bird pecking’ loses interest
rapidly when he has to keep looking around for the target.
A disadvantage of the spec is that it is generally used on older birds,
and cannot be placed on very young birds. Pecking generally starts
among younger birds, and adults that have not developed the habit
generally don’t need them. Specs must, of course, be removed prior
to release. Another disadvantage is the tendency of the spec to get
lodged in the wire sides or net ceiling of the pen. The other birds
take advantage of their trapped pen mate and cannibalize him. Or,
the spec tangles the bird in the top netting, and birds hung this way
rarely survive any length of time.
The wire bit simply divides the upper and lower beaks and does not allow the bird to
close its beak completely. The ends of the wire bit are pushed into the bird’s nostrils and
looped under the upper part of the beak. Feeding and watering is not prevented but the
beak will not close enough to pull feathers or skin from another bird.
Although the purpose is obvious, the disadvantages are not. Installation and removal is
time consuming just as it is with the specs. Nor can the bit be used with too young a bird
unless you intend to change to a larger size as the bird grows. Also, beaks tend to grow to
compensate for the wire beak divider. This makes an unsightly beak and eventually it
allows the ends of the beak to come together.
As mentioned earlier, debeaking seems to be the answer for most large producers of
chukars, but often avoiding the problem through minimizing stress and eliminating
crowded conditions is most advantageous. Putting fresh hay in the pens periodically or
hanging heads of cabbage where the birds can reach them will help reduce pecking.
The following list of methods to prevent cannibalism will help.
•
Brood chicks in subdued light.
•
Use green or ceramic blue bulbs in just enough light for the birds to find food
and water.
•
Do not over crowd. This will help prevent disease as well as cannibalism.
20
Provide more than enough feed and watering space.
•
Using a dusty, powdery feed that sticks to the birds’ beak may cause them to
pick at one another.
•
Brooders that are too hot or too cold may start cannibalism.
•
Don’t mix birds of a different size and be careful of mixing birds from
different groups even when they are the same size and age. If you must mix
two different groups, place them all in a third pen rather than putting one
group in the pen of the other group.
•
This causes them all to adjust rather than making part of them intruders.
•
Debeak at the first sign of feather pecking; don’t wait until the habit is firmly
entrenched and many of the birds are injured and ratty in appearance.
•
Provide cover in the pens. Place corn shocks, pine tops, or other natural cover
materials where an attacked bird can seek cover. the brooder.
DISEASE AND PARASITES
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
Your success or failure is directly dependent upon your control of diseases and parasites
in your chukar breeding and rearing project. Sanitation is the key to control.
Medications and insecticides will help in the control but your most important
preventative is good sanitation. Raising chukars on wire floored pens or setting the
breeders up in wire-floored cages is important and will help overcome many problems.
Cleaning the water founts and feeders should be done frequently, using a good
disinfectant. Do not allow manure, moisture or feed to build up under the wire floors
Dust the birds periodically for mites and lice. Clean and sanitize equipment and facilities
between groups of chukars and before starting up a new season of raising. Do not raise
other birds in the same pens with the chukars and clean and disinfect all facilities and
equipment used by other birds before using them for the chukar. Have your breeder’s
blood tested by qualified poultry persons. Your local County extension agent can help
you with this facet of good management. Medicate your birds at the first sign of illness;
do not wait until they are dying.
In case of disease, the following suggestions will help:
• Contact your local poultry expert or the County extension agent to learn the
location of your nearest diagnostic laboratory. Take any dead and several of the ill
birds to them for diagnosis
•
While doing this, treat your birds with a general purpose antibiotic. Water soluble
antibiotics are easy to administer and should be put in the drinking water. This
action is only a temporary measure until you can get a diagnosis and a specific
treatment can be implemented. If the directions for using the general purpose
21
antibiotic are followed, it will not harm the birds and may save some that would
have died while you were getting a specific treatment prescribed.
•
In the event of illness in a particular pen or group of birds, isolate this group from
other pens that do not show signs of the disease. It is also a good practice to
isolate any obviously ill chukars in a group from the rest of the group. It will help
prevent the spread of the problem.
•
When feeding and watering your birds, do the sick group last. This will help
prevent the spreading of the illness to the healthy birds.
•
Implement the recommendations for treatment made by the poultry diagnostician
as quickly as you can. Do not delay, for often other birds will be affected if
treatment is not begun immediately and carried out according to instructions.
To aid in the recognition and understanding of a few of the more common medical and
pest problems and their treatment, the following information is presented. It should not be
construed to be a complete listing of all illnesses or problems that affect the chukar but
only the more common ones.
BLACKHEAD
This problem in chukars is caused by a protozoan (Histomonas megleagridis) and is
primarily disease of the ceca (blind pouches of the intestines) and the liver. A
combination of spot liver and ulcerated ceca indicates that the bird has blackhead
infection. Ask your veterinarian diagnostician to show you the signs of this disease when
he opens up a dead bird that affected.
Blackhead can be avoided by rearing and keeping all your chukars up on wire or slat
floors, since the protozoan can not exist where the birds can be affected unless they are in
contact with the ground. This is true of other parasitic illess in chukars and is the reason
professional game bird raisers put their chukars in cages or brooders that do not allow the
bird direct contact with the ground.
In the event your chukars should contract this problem due to contact with the ground or
because you find it necessary to rear them in ground bottom pen the most effective
medication available at this time is Erotryl, a blackhead medication use extensively by
the turkey raisers. Even by using this drug, your mortality rate will be high than if you
used wire floored pens, so the investment in time and materials to build proper pens is
well spent if you intend to rear chukars year after year.
PARASITES
Parasites commonly seen in chukar include Gape Worm, Cecal Worm, Crop Worm, and
intestinal worms.
These parasites can be avoided in the same manner recommended for Blackhead. Build
your pens up off the ground with wire floors and keep the birds from coming in contact
with the ground, which harbors these dangerous parasites.
22
Gape worms obstruct the trachea or wind pipe and causes the bird to suffocate. Thibenzi
is cattle drench medication, and is commonly used to kill this parasite in chukars and
pheasants that have contracted it by contact with the ground.
Cecal worm causes gastric disturbances, including anorexia, diarrhea, and emaciation.
Wormal Tabs are one of the drugs used in combating this problem.
The peperazine compounds will quickly overcome intestinal worm infestations which
cause diarrhea, lethargy, exhaustion loss of appetite and emaciation.
Emaciation, diarrhea, listlessness, anorexia, and reduced water consumption can also be
caused by crop worm. Although there are medications for this problem, raising the bird
on wire or slatted floor pens is the most effective prevention.
ECTOPARASITES
Most game birds will at some time or another host lice mites and even fleas. Cleanliness
around the pen and attention to detail can help overcome and avoid these ectoparasites.
Insecticides such as 4% Maoathion dust for poultry and Sevin powder and roost paints
can help prevent and overcome these problems. Keep some handy and periodically use
them. A good time to dust a bird is when you have to handle it for some reason such as
debeaking, sorting, moving to new quarters, etc. A dusting container with dry sand is a
good place to add some insecticide dust or powder so that the birds can overcome
these parasites while they are dusting themselves.
COCCIDIOSIS
Many coccidiostats are available for the teed or water made accessible to the young birds.
Furox 10, Ren-O-Sol Tablets, Sulquin 6-50 Concentrate, and Triple Sulfa Soluble are a
few of the medications available for the purpose of stopping an acute outbreak of
Coccidiosis which can result in high mortality in young chukars. Watch for signs of this
problem by noting if the chicks become droopy, have ruffled feathers, or suffer a loss of
appetite.
Medicated feed can be purchased which contains a minimum level of a coccidiostat.
Remember, this is a minimum level and may not be enough medication to avoid
coccidoisis. Having additional medication readily available can often overcome chick
losses.
It is also wise to have a general purpose antibiotic medication available at all times.
Often, birds can be saved while you are figuring out what the problem is by the judicious
use (following the medication’s directions) of an antibiotic such as NeoTerramycin
Soluble Powder, Sulmet, Aureomycin Soluble Powder, Baciferm Soluble 50, or
another general purpose antibiotic.
23
CHUKAR RELEASE PROGRAMS
TYPE OF RELEASE AREAS
From 1932 to 1955, more than 52,000 chukars were released
in California. Due to this state sponsored release program,
chukars are established in the semi-arid and desert regions of
this state. The chukar seems best adapted and established in
those areas of California where the annual precipitation rarely
exceeds 10 inches.
In New York many chukars have been released for dog trials
and on private shooting preserves, as well as by interested
stocking clubs and individuals. But the chukar does not seem to have adapted to New
York’s environment and climate as there is no evidence that they have reproduced in the
wild despite the large numbers that have been released over the years.
Although no extensive studies have been conducted regarding the success of release
programs in very many states, it appears to be reasonable to assume the chukar is best
adapted to a semi-arid or desert type region similar to their native habitat. This is not to
conclude that the chukar is not a hardy bird capable of withstanding harsh climate areas
of snow and below freezing temperatures. The chukar is being raised in captivity in every
state in the U.S and rivals the ringneck pheasant in popularity on hunting preserves
through out the United States. Most commercial propagation farms that handle chukars
provide them with pens and shelters that are similar to those used for ringneck pheasants
with the exceptions of a wire-floored pen and less space per bird. This is true even with
those raisers located in northern states that have severe winter seasons.
Since few of us live in semi-arid and desert regions, the question
arises as to what type of cover to release chukars in for hunting in
other regions. Game preserve managers who have worked with this
fine bird recommended cover that is heavy enough to conceal the
bird but thin enough that they can move easily through it. A mixture
of dwarf corn and black amber sorgham or corn with buckwheat or
switch grass makes good cover.
Releasing the chukar on a put and take basis seems reasonable in
most areas. Releasing them in areas where the yearly recipitation
exceeds 10 inches with the idea that they will propagate is a waste of time and resources.
RECALL
A question often asked regarding the use of chukars in dog training; will the chukar, like
the bobwhite quail, call back to a field pen?
Properly flight conditioned chukars work well in dog training situations and will recall to
a field pen if they are trained to do so.
24
A recall cage or field pen with cone-shaped entrances on the side should be used. The
cones should be similar to a quail recall pen cone but larger. Generally about twice as
large a cone is necessary since the adult male chukar ranges in weight from 21 to 28
ounces, or about two to three times as large as a Bobwhite quail. The female chukar
averages 15.5 to 22 ounces.
If you are building a recall cage, the height should be 15 to 16 inches with cone entrances
that taper from 14” to 10” and extend into the cage about 12”. A shelter area at one end
with a door on the top is useful for feeding, watering, and catching the chukars for
release.
Place the pen and the chukars to be used for dog training in the field where the training
will take place. Keep them a week or ten days in the recall cage (don’t crowd them) and
feed and water them daily. Release one or two a few feet from the pen at the end of this
time. Don’t flush or frighten the bird away. Leave the field and the next day they will
probably have gained entrance to the recall pen via the cone shaped entrances. A few
days of this type of conditioning, leave one or two birds in the recall cage and the chukers
are ready to use for dog training.
Like quail, eventually they will not return for one reason or another, but you should be
able to use them in the training situation many times before they disappear. Even after
they fail to return to the recall cage, they will probably stay in the area for a few more
days, so take your dog out and look around.
MARKETING TIPS
All forms of marketing could be generally classified under the term “advertising”.
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines advertising as “the action of calling
something to the attention of the public, especially by paid announcements.” There are
many ways to achieve this objective and not all of them involve “paid announcements”.
The ways involving paid announcements are newspaper ads, magazine ads, direct mail,
radio and television announcements, to name a few. Ways of getting free advertising
involve “word of mouth” ads, repeat business, and speaking engagements by you. Stories
concerning your business run free by newspapers and magazines, or simply getting your
name mentioned in a public medium is a good way to market your Chukar.
Having a domain name and a web site is very common for bird raisers. This low cost
media is an excellent way to display your products and the facilities. You can send
prospective customers to it for directions to your business or to place orders for products.
If you use the web address on your brochures, letters business cards, price lists, press
releases, etc. your web site can be a source of business. Going to the web to look up
things is becoming a very common practice.
Putting an ad in a newspaper or magazine is relatively simple. Anyone that carries
advertising will be happy to give or send you a rate chart for classified or display ads.
Obviously, you will be wasting time and money by placing ads in a medium that would
have few if any readers interested in Chukar. So select the publications carefully.
25
Radio and T.V. usually cost more than other forms of advertising, and unless your
volume of sales warrants the expense, it should be considered carefully. However,
Chukar raising is not a run of the mill type of business and you may be able to get free
publicity on these mediums with a little effort on your part.
Direct mail simply involves sending an announcement or price list to potentially
interested persons or organizations. Lists can often be obtained from a game bird or
hunting association. Your state wildlife division usually licenses persons involved in
raising game birds, operating hunting preserves, or keeping wild birds and animals.
Check these sources out for mailing lists. Sometimes one or more of these organizations
have newsletters going out to their members or participants; see if you can get the word
out through this publication.
Free advertising is a great way to sell your birds, eggs, and poults. It is generally
somewhat limited in scope, but is usually directed toward interested parties as is the case
of “word of mouth” advertising. This type of ad comes from satisfied customers, persons
exposed to a speech you gave at a meeting of sportsmen, or other advertising you have
run. This type of advertising can work against you also, as in the case of a dissatisfied
customer. So, treat them all well and honestly. This will also lead to repeat business.
Contact local publications and give them a “Press Release”. Let them know you have
opened your Chukar raising business and it may net you some free publicity.
A few other ways to let the public know you are in business is with business cards, or
signs, or calling on potential customers. There are many ways that you will be able to
find that will apply in your area if you just think about it.
SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AGENCIES
Local County Extension Agent.
Local Library
Local State Wildlife Division.
BOOKS
Christensen, G.L. The Chukar Partridge: Its Introduction, Life History, and
Management, Biological Bulletin No. 4, Nevada Department of Fish and Game, Carson
City, NV 89701
Woodward, A.E. Husbandry of the Chukar Partridge in Confinement, Department of
Avian Sciences, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616
PERIODICALS
The Game Bird Bulletin
288 Levengood Road
Douglassville, PA 19518
26
The Wildlife Harvest
Wildlife Harvest Publications, Inc.
PO Box 96
Goose Lake, IA 52750
ASSOCIATIONS
American Pheasant and Waterfowl Society
W2270 U.S. Highway 10
Granton, WI 54436
Pennsylvania Poultry Federation
500 N. Progress Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17109
North American Gamebird Association
PO Box 2105
Cayce-West Columbia, SC 29171
Pennsylvania Game Breeders Association
288 Levengood Road
Douglassville, PA 19518
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Bureau of Wildlife Management
Propagation Division
2001 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Department of Poultry Science
The Pennsylvania State University
214 Henning Building
University Park, PA 16802
WEB SITES
Western Game Bird Alliance
North American Hunting Club
National Rifle Association
National Shooting Sports Foundation
Wildlife Forever
27
APPENDIX
SAMPLE BUDGETS
The following sample pheasant budgets are very close to the budget for raising chukars.
Get the current prices on chukars, feed and other items, put your numbers in the estimate
column and determine your budget for Chukar raising.
28
29
RELATIVE HUMIDITY TABLE
Wet-Bulb Values For Four (dry-bulb) Incubation Temperatures
Relative
Humidity
99o ¹
100o
101o
102o
45
80.5
81.3
82.2
83.0
50
82.5
83.3
84.2
85.0
55
84.5
85.3
86.2
87.0
60
86.5
87.3
88.2
89.0
65
88.0
89.0
90.0
91.0
70
89.7
90.7
91.7
92.7
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INCUBATOR FUMIGATION TABLE
Cubic Feet of Space
Formaldehyde
Potassium Permanganate
10
1 teaspoon
½ teaspoon
20
2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon
50
6 teaspoons
3 teaspoons
100
¼ cup
1/8 cup
200
½ cup
¼ cup
400
1 cup
½cup
PEN FOR BIRDS SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS
Number of birds
Space needed
Typical Pen size
10 birds — any sex
20 sq. ft.
4’x5’
20 birds — any sex
40 sq. ft.
5’x8’
100 birds — any sex
200 sq. ft.
20’xl0’
200 birds — any sex
400 sq. ft.
20’x20’
PEN FOR BIRDS EIGHT TO FOURTEEN WEEKS
Number of birds
Space needed
Typical Pen size
10 birds — any sex
40 sq. ft.
5’x8’
20 birds — any sex
80 sq. ft.
10’x8’
100 birds — any sex
400 sq. ft
20’x20’
200 birds — any sex
800sq. ft.
40’x20’
31
FLIGHT CONDITIONING PEN 14 WEEKS OR OLDER
Number of birds
Space needed
Typical Pen size
5 birds — any sex
120 sq. ft.
12’x 10’
10 birds — any sex
250sq. ft.
25’x 10’
30 birds — any sex
700 sq. ft.
35 ‘x20’
60 birds — any sex
1500 sq. ft.
75’x20’
The Breeder Pen can be the same size and the same pen as the flight-conditioning pen.
Regardless of how you mix the breeders, do not exceed the number recommended for the
typical pen size.
FEED CHART BY INGREDIENT
INGREDIENTS
STARTER
GROWER
MAINTAIN
BREEDER
corn
36.3
54.0
52.0
49.0
soybean
46.8
27.0
2.4
16.0
alfalfa
3.0
3.0
3.0
3.0
wheat
5.0
5.0
25.0
21.0
oats
0.0
5.0
12.0
0.0
meat/bone meal
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5
dried milk
3.0
0.0
0.0
3.0
limestone
1.3
1.3
1.3
4.5
oyster shell
1.3
1.0
1.0
1.0
salt
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.25
methionine dl
0.10
0.0
0.0
0.0
vitamin premix
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
32
NUTRITION
A turkey grower diet supplemented with oyster shell is suitable for breeding chukars and
should be provided 1 month before mating is due to start. Breeding stock will consume
about 300 g of feed per week. Chukar chicks should be fed a turkey starter ration during
the brooding period and then a grower ration until marketing.
Suggested rations
0–5
%
weeks 5 weeks
%
plus
Wheat
50
60
68
Barley
6
10
–
Soyabean meal
23
10
5.7
Meatmeal
15
10
10
Milk powder
4
3
4
Lucerne meal
–
2.0
5
Salt
0.2
0.3
0.5
Limestone
–
2
5
Insoluble grit
0.5
0.4
0.5
Methionine
0.2
0.2
0.2
Lysine
0.1
0.1
0.1
Vitamin premix
1.0
2.0
1.0
Breeders
On the above feeding regimes, chukars may reach 600 g at 18 weeks, with a feed
conversion of 6:1.
33
SOURCES OF INCUBATORS
Some of the companies, which manufacture small incubators and incubator parts, are:
General Supplies
Check your local Feed or Farm Store
Incubators, incubator thermometers, and circuit Brower Mfg. Co., Quincy, Illinois
breakers.
Small incubators.
Fleet Mfg. Co., P.O. Box 649, Glendale,
California.
Incubators, incubator thermometers,
thermostats, and midget incubator kits
Lyon Rural Electric Co., P.O. Box 30,
2075 Moore Street, San Diego, California
92112.
Suburban-Farm Supplies and Fencing Catalog: Sears Roebuck & Co., Chicago, Illinois
Small incubators, thermometers, thermostats
60607
Small incubators
National Agricultural Supply Co., Ft.
Atkinson, Wisconsin
INCUBATOR PERIOD AND OPERATION
Incubation Period
24 Days
Forced Air Operating Temperature
99 1/2 F Dry Bulb
Humidity
86 to 87 F. Wet Bulb
After 21st Day
Do Not Turn Eggs
Operating Temperature During Last 3 Days
98 1/2 F. Dry Bulb
Humidity During Last 3 Days
88 to 90 F. Wet Bulb
34
RECYCLING CHUKAR BREEDERS
Lighting Program to Initiate the Onset of Production
Age (wks.)
Hours/Light
Age (wks.)
Hours/Light
22.0
14.01
20.0
14.0
23.5
15.0
21.5
15.0
25.0
16.0
23.0
16.0
26.5
16.5
24.5
16.5
In some latitudes, the natural day length may reach 16 hours. In this case the light should not
be increased past 17 hours. The natural increase in day length should stimulate the birds into
production. In latitudes that have extremes in day length, blackout housing is most advantageous.
(1)
The initial hours of light must exceed the hours of natural daylight unless the house is totally
light controlled.
(2)
35
FEED FORMULAS
Starting Diet:
Pounds
per ton
Ingredient:
%
Ground yellow corn
Soybean meal, de-hulled, 50% protein
Dehydrated alfalfa meal, 17% protein 1
Fishmeal, 60% protein
De-lactosed dried whey2
Distillery by-product (70% distiller's dried solubles
30% distiller's dried grains).
D-L methionine, 98% pure
Vegetable, animal, or animal-and-vegetable fat, stabilized
Finely ground salt (sodium chloride), plain or iodized
Ground limestone
Dicalcium phosphate or steamed bonemeal
Vitamin-trace mineral mix for turkey starting and growing diets 3
Antibiotic supplement (25 grams of chiortetracycline,
oxytetracycline, or bacitracin per pound).
40
40
3
6
2.5
2.5
Total
Growing Diet:
Ingredient
Ground yellow corn4
Alfalfa meal, dehydrated, 17% protein5
Soybean meal, solvent, 44% protein6
Meat scrap, 55% protein7
Fishmeal, menhaden, 60% protein8
Steamed bonemeal or dicalcium phosphate
Ground limestone or oyster shell
Vitamin-trace mineral mix9
Antibiotic supplement (25 grams of chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline
or bacitracin per pound).
Finely ground salt, plain or iodized
Total
1
800
800
60
120
50
50
.125
2
.250
.650
2.6
.35
.025
2.5
40
5
13
52
7
.5
_____
100%
_____
2,000
%
56
10
20
5
3.775
3
1.2
.5
.025
Pounds
per ton
1,120
200
400
100
75.5
60
24
10
.5
.5
10
100%
2,000
Dehydrated alfalfa leaf meal or cereal grass can be substituted pound for pound
Dried Brewer’s or plain dried whey can be substituted pound for pound
3
A premixed product
4
Ground sorghum grain, white corn, or wheat can be substituted pound for pound
5
Alfalfa leaf meal or dried cereal grass can be substituted pound for pound
6
Soybean meal (or soybean oil meal) is the processed bean minus the oil, not ground soybeans, which are
not recommended. Corn gluten meal, hempseed oil meal, degossypolized cottonseed meal, dehulled
sunflower seed meal, sesame meal, safflower seed meal, peanut meal, or dehulled soybean meal (50%
protein) can be substituted pound for pound.
7
Poultry byproduct meal or 50% protein meat-and-bone meal can be substituted pound for pound.
8
Any good-quality fishmeal can be substituted.
9
Supply insoluble grit, water, scratch grain, and the mash, all free choice. The mash contains about 21%
protein, 2% calcium, and 1% total phosphorus.
2
36
Breeding Diet
Ingredient:
Yellow corn, medium grind
Wheat middlings, standard
Heavy oats or milo, pulverized
Dehydrated alfalfa meal, 17% protein10
Soybean meal, solvent, 44% protein
Fishmeal, 60si protein
Delactosed dried whey11
Distillers dried product (70% solubles, 30% grains)
Ground oystershell or limestone
Steamed bonemeal or dicalcium phosphate
Finely ground salt (sodium chloride), plain or iodized
Vitamin-trace mineral mix12
Total
%
34.9
20
15
8
5
6
2.5
2.5
2.5
3
.25
.35
Pounds
per ton
698
400
300
160
100
120
50
50
50
60
5
7
_____
100%
______
2,000
Breeding Diet contains about 16.9% protein, 2.3% calcium, and 1% total phosphorus. Supply
water and insoluble grit free choice. If a disease preventive is needed, 50 to 100 grams of
furazolidone or a tetracycline antibiotic can be added per ton of feed. Granulated oyster shell
may be fed free choice but usually the added calcium is neither necessary nor desirable.
6% alfalfa leaf meal or dried cereal grass and a 2% increase in corn may be substituted for the 8% alfalfa.
Dried brewer's yeast or plain dried whey may be substituted pound for pound
12
A premixed product
10
11
37
HATCHING TROUBLE SHOOTING
The titles below represent internet links. Click on the titles to view the articles.
Clear eggs with no visible embryonic development.
Blood rings in incubated eggs.
Many dead embryos at an early stage.
Chicks fully formed, but dead without pipping.
Pipped eggs, but died without hatching.
Early hatching.
Late hatching or not hatching uniformly.
Sticky embryos.
Embryos sticking or adhering to shell.
Crippled and malformed chicks.
Abnormal, weak, or small chicks.
Chicks with labored breathing.
Large, soft-bodied mushy chicks.
Rough or unhealed navels on chicks.
Short down on chicks.
Excessive yellow down color.
38
Q & A: CONTAMINATION OF HATCHING EGGS
Where does microbial contamination come from?
Bacteria and mold which can affect hatching eggs are found everywhere in the
environment--in soil, in manure, and even on the dust particles in the air. The most
common way hatching eggs become contaminated is by allowing fresh eggs to lay in
dirty nests or on the floor and slats.
How does microbial contamination affect the eggs and chicks?
When a large number of bacteria get onto the shell surface, the chances of bacteria
invading the egg increase. Bacteria inside the egg may use the nutrients found in the egg
to multiply, robbing the embryo of a crucial food source or perhaps producing a toxin
harmful to the embryo. During incubation, bacteria can actually prevent embryonic
development, ultimately causing the embryo to die. Even if the embryo of a contaminated
egg survives hatching, the chick will either die in the broiler house or simply not grow as
it should. Contaminated eggs that fail to hatch in the incubator can also affect other,
healthy eggs. If one contaminated egg should crack in the incubator, it may spread
bacteria to other eggs or newly hatched chicks. In fact, one egg can affect an entire
incubator.
Does the egg possess any anti-microbial defenses?
Although bacteria and mold can easily find a path into a cracked egg, the intact egg
possesses many defenses that prevent microbial infection. Barriers that protect the egg
include the cuticle, the shell, the shell membrane and the albumen or egg white (See
Figure 1).
Figure 1. Microscopic Cross-Section of an Egg Shell (Lucore, 1994).
39
A protein layer located on the shell surface is called the "cuticle." The cuticle helps
occlude-or cover over-some of the pore openings to minimize bacterial penetration.
Sometimes, though, if the cuticle layer is thin, the pores are too large or the shell too thin,
bacteria can enter through the pore of the shell. If this should happen, the shell has two
membranes lining the inside of it which act like a filter to prevent penetration.
Additionally, the albumen contains natural compounds which can kill any bacteria that
may evade the egg's other protective features. However protected the egg may seem, if
the number of bacteria is too great, the natural defenses cannot prevent invasion. Good
management practices are essential to minimize the assault of bacteria upon freshly laid
hatching eggs.
What management strategies can be practiced to reduce egg contamination?
•
Collect eggs frequently to minimize the time that they are exposed to a
contaminated environment.
•
Keep egg laying areas as clean as possible, including the nest litter or pads.
•
Remove eggs to the egg cooler as soon as possible after lay; cooler temperatures
will slow the growth of bacteria on the shell surface.
•
Prevent moisture from accumulating on the shell. Moisture provides a needed
nutrient for microbial growth and might also provide a medium to aid the
movement of microbes through the shell.
•
Use authorized egg shell sanitation or fumigation programs properly.
•
Minimize the number of cracked or broken eggs. Egg contents can provide
nutrients for the bacteria to multiply and spread.
• Avoid abrasive cleaning of the egg which can affect the integrity of the shell.
•
Increase efforts to minimize contamination as the breeder flock's age increases.
The shell becomes thinner with age and more prone to bacterial infection.
Works Cited
Lucore, L. M.S. Thesis, 1994. NC State University.
40
RECIPES
Potstickers
4 oz
4 each
1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon
1 pkg
Chukar - chopped fine
shiitake mushrooms
fresh garlic
Ginger
sesame oil
Gyoza skins
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients. Lay gyoza skins out two at a time. Brush lightly with water.
Place ½ oz chukar mixture in center of gyoza and fold over into ½ moon shape.
Sear in hot non-stick skillet with 1 oz of vegetable oil or bake at 450º F for 4-6
minutes.
Potsticker Sauce
1 cup
chili garlic sauce
¼ cup
soy sauce
1/8 cup
rice wine vinegar
1/8 cup
thai fish sauce
1/8 cup
chopped cilantro
1/8 cup
chopped ginger
Mix all ingredients and spoon over pot stickers
Grilled Quail or Chukar
12
Whole quail (or 6 halves of Chukar), skinned
Marinade:
2cups
Extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup
Red wine vinegar
¼ cup
Teriyaki
15 cloves
Garlic, coarsely chopped
Soak birds in salt water for 24 hours, changing water every eight hours. Whisk
marinade ingredients together well in a glass bowl, add birds. Marinade for 12 to 24
hours, stirring twice. Preheat BBQ grill or prep coals. Drain birds for 15 minutes,
reserving marinade for basting. Grill until juices run clear, turning and basting 2 to 3
times. Usually 8-10 minutes for Quail and slightly longer for Chukar. Birds should
just start to brown on the breast side. DO NOT OVERCOOK! A Caesar salad, wild
rice dish, and a glass of Chardonnay will round this treat out nicely.
41
Takis Peppas Chukar (Greece)
Split the dressed chukar at the back and flatten the two halves. Prepare the following
dressing: add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, into 2 tea cups of olive oil. Apply
the dressing on the birds and put them on the prepared grill. Periodically apply the
dressing as the birds are over the grill and grill to taste. On a well burning charcoal
grill I usually apply, wait 4 min, apply, flip and wait 4 min, apply, wait 4 min, apply,
flip, wait 2 min, apply, done.
Partridge With Bacon, Mushrooms and Spaetzle
2-3 partridges (chukar)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
18 oz. pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can golden mushroom soup
4-6 strips bacon
2 tbs. maggi seasoning
3-5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 large onion
1 box Maggi Brand Spaetzle
In a large crock pot, place the bacon pieces on the bottom, then add the birds, and the
rest of the ingredients, except the spaetzle. Cover and cook on low for t-6 hours, until
the meat falls easily away from the bones. Remove the birds from the crock pot, and
allow to cool. Pick all the meat off the bones, return to the crock pot, and stir. Prepare
spaetzle per directions, and spoon the partridge mix over the spaetzle. Serve with
rolls, red cabbage, and sauerkraut.
Fajitas
2-3 chukar, deboned and cut into strips large 1 green bell pepper, sliced into long
enough for grilling
thin strips
1 pkg. fajita or tortilla wrappers
1 large vidalia onion, sliced into rings,
and then in half
1 red bell pepper, sliced into long thin strips 2-4 large portabella mushrooms, sliced
into long thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into long thin 3 tbs. olive oil
strips
Seasoning mix:
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tsp. corn starch
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4-1/2 tsp. black pepper
42
3 tbs. minced onions
1-2 fresh habanero peppers, minced
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 tbs. line juice
1/2-1 tbs. Texas Pete Sauce
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
3 springs fresh chopped basil, or 1 tsp.
dried basil
1 tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. oregano
Combine all the seasoning mix ingredients, and coat the meat with the mixture.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, then grill and keep warm, reserving the marinade. In a large
skillet, heat olive oil and then quick fry all the vegetables. They should still be very
firm, not soggy. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl. Heat fajita wrappers
and serve all at once, buffet style. Garnish with sour cream, guacamole dip, salsa,
diced tomatoes, grated cheese (cheddar & Monterey jack), and chopped cilantro.
Serve with refried beans and Spanish rice.
Copyright 1979, 2002, Carl G. Kline.
mailto:[email protected]
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