Feeding Game Birds

The nutrient requirements of game birds vary by species and intended use. Follow these dietary recommendations to help optimize production.

Ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, Japanese quail, chukar partridge, and Hungarian partridge are gallinaceous birds related to grouse, wild and domestic turkeys, and chickens. Although these game bird species do not constitute a major share of the poultry industry, there is an increasing number of specialized farms involved in their production.

Ring-Necked Pheasant

Pheasants originate from Asia, and there are many different varieties. Pheasant names seem to be related to the native homeland, such as the Chinese ring-neck and Mongolian, Szechwan, and Japanese pheasants. The common English pheasant also originated in Asia and was first introduced into the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Within a few years, they became well established in this region.

Information concerning the nutrient requirements of the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus cholchincus) suggests that diets with relatively high nutrient concentrations are required during the starter period. Protein and amino acid requirements mirror those of turkeys. Pheasants also are prone to leg disorders and abnormal feather growth when specific key macronutrients (protein, methionine, calcium, and phosphorus) and micronutrients (niacin, riboflavin, choline, manganese, and zinc) are deficient.

Bobwhite Quail

Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) are game birds indigenous to the United States. Their distinctive call, color, and flight patterns make them popular for sport. In many parts of the United States, loss of natural habitats has created a market demand for commercially bred birds that are used to stock hunting preserves and some native wild areas.

Several species of bobwhite quail exist. The eastern bobwhite is the most common species in the wild and in confinement, but four other species include the Plains bobwhite, masked bobwhite, Texas bobwhite, and Florida bobwhite. The jumbo bobwhite is a commercially available strain that has been selected for marketing traits such as appearance and meat production. However, the Japanese quail appears to be more suited for meat production.

Japanese Quail

Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) are also known as coturnix, pharaoh’s, stubble, and eastern quail. They are used for commercial meat and egg production for specialty markets and as a valued research animal.

Historically, Japanese quail have been widely distributed in Europe and Asia, and Egyptians trapped large numbers from their farmlands for meat. For several centuries in Japan, birds were kept not only as pets but also for meat and egg production.

Japanese quail were introduced into the United States originally by bird fanciers around 1870. Hawaii has been the only state to successfully establish this species as a wild population.

The nutrient requirements of Japanese quail have been documented to a greater extent than those of other game birds. This is largely due to the bird’s widespread functionality as a producer of meat and eggs and as a research animal, and for its ease in handling, propagation, and reproduction for amateur bird fanciers and hobbyists.

Chukar Partridge

The chukar partridge (Alectoris gracea chukar), which originates from Central Asia, was first released in California in 1932, and its release continued through 1955. Approximately 52,000 birds were released during this period in all but four counties. As a result, chukar partridge have become established in the desert and semiarid regions of California where precipitation seldom exceeds 10 inches per year.

The chukar partridge is popular as a release bird for recreational hunting in many parts of the United States. They are docile and easily raised in captivity. Although most birds reared in captivity are released for sport, there is a small need for producing meat birds for a limited restaurant trade.

The chukar is easily identified by the black band running across the forehead, through the eyes, and down the neck, and meeting as a gorget between the white throat feathers and upper breast. The lower breast and back are generally ashy gray. The feathers of the flanks are gray at the base and have two black bands at the tip, giving the appearance of numerous bands of black bars flanking the side. The bill, legs, and feet are orange-red in the adult.