Mature Birds

The Afghan-Whitewing is a breed of pheasant that we first discovered in Washington State. A farmer had a flock of these pheasants, and we were able to purchase a small number of eggs from him. We then hatched them here on the farm in the early 90’s. With this being [...]

We have grown our reputation primarily on the sale of live pheasants and partridges to hunt clubs around the nation for release. We have systems in place for every phase of a pheasant’s life, and work diligently to provide our customers with the highest quality birds. Once the birds are [...]

Here in Wisconsin, we have entered into the spring turkey-hunting season. Hunters can register for weeks ranging anywhere from the beginning of April thru the end of May. This got us to thinking, how do turkeys and pheasants compare? First, let us discuss the similarities. Both are classified in the [...]

At MacFarlane Pheasants, we don’t raise the same old pheasants as other farms, and we don’t build all our outdoor pens the same. Our Hungarian partridges have different requirements than our ringneck and Manchurian Cross pheasants, so we cater to them just like we cater to our customers. Your average [...]

After three weeks in the “A” room and four weeks in the “B” room, the former MacFarlane Pheasant chicks are now juveniles and ready to be transferred to outdoor pens. There’s no gentle transition; the birds are loaded into crates and plopped into the outdoor pens. But before we do [...]

Once a chick hatches, it is vital to get them to begin feeding as soon as possible. Not only does it give their bodies the proper nutrients required, but it also gets them into the habit of feeding. This is crucial in preventing any potential starve-out. Beginning when they are [...]

Temperatures here have been colder the past 2 days than we have had for 20 years. It’s been as low as -18 F (that is the actual temperature, not the wind chill temp). Our birds are nearly all outside, so since we knew last week that this cold snap was [...]

Hungarian Partridge The Hungarian partridge is more commonly known as a Grey Partridge, familarly called "huns". It can grow up to 28-32 cm long and has a brown back, grey flanks and chest, and many have a white belly with a large chestnut colored horseshoe mark. Huns can lay up [...]

We know what management protocols generally work for the top quality of raising pheasants. We know the density (sq. ft. per bird), the feeder space and waterer space per bird. We know what constitutes good vegetative cover. We know what type of peeper we think works best, etc. etc. We know [...]

At MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. we strive to be the most progressive and innovative pheasant farm in the world. Our success in market birds throughout the world has been tied to our unique genetics. In the past we have been able to import wild pheasants from China to produce our Manchurian [...]

At MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. we strive to produce the best pheasant chicks in the industry. This task would be a lot easier if our customers were all looking for birds with similar characteristics; however, we are shipping our birds to many locations around the country where people are looking for [...]

Over the years I’ve heard lots of stories and rationalizations why pheasants pick.   I am going to just lay out all the things I’ve heard and then give you my own theories.  Pheasants cannibalize each other because they aren’t used to be penned up and captive.  Pheasants can be the [...]

Trudy DeRemer, MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc Center Farm Manager, brought these adorable goats to the Center Farm on May 18, 2019. They were born on April 1, 2019. Trudy got these two Nubian bucklings from her friends at Raspberry Hill Farm in Monroe, WI and brought them to MacFarlane Pheasants to [...]

Transitioning pheasants from the brooder barn to the flight pen can be a difficult and frustrating experience. We have come up with a recipe, if you will, on how to properly transition pheasants to the flight pens. By following the recipe, the transition should be a smooth one. The first [...]

It is with pride that we have followed the success of our Manchurian Cross pheasants across the United States, Canada and in Europe. We hatched approximately three hundred thousand (300,000) Manchurian Cross pheasant chicks during this 2004 season. The reason we use the word “cross” is that it refers to the fact [...]

At six to seven weeks of age, pheasants are moved from the brooder barn into flight pens. They live in these flight pens until they are shipped, around twenty-two weeks of age. Understanding how to manage covered pens is essential in producing a quality pheasant. Establishing cover in the pen is [...]

Years ago there was a wide variance in mature pheasant feathering quality between growers. It was common for some pheasant raisers to over-crowd their birds and therefore produce birds with broken, notched or missing tails. If a producer raised pheasants and they had full tails, that in and of itself [...]

The red-legged partridge is a game bird in the partridge family sometimes known as French Partridge or simply as Redleg Partridges. Bred for centuries on gamebird farms in France and Italy, the Redleg has not been bred on a commercial scale in the United States (in comparison to the many [...]

November has been very kind to us – weather wise.  We have over 100,000 pheasants on the farm – outside in the pens.  Once we reach late October and then November, our water system usually freezes.  Once the water system is down, the birds will eat snow – if there [...]