Transitions Between Breeder Seasons in Missouri

Troy Cisewski, our Production Manager, oversees the three MacFarlane Pheasants’ farms in Missouri. They are all located within a 30-minute driving distance of each other. The primary purpose for having the Missouri farms is biosecurity. Multiple egg sources protect us if a disease occurs and other farms would need to be quarantined. Another safety measure we employ at the Missouri sites is to have designated employees at each location to eliminate cross-traffic contamination. The Missouri sites also free pen space in Janesville for our famous flight birds.

MoMac-4 barns (all 40 x 400 feet)

•  MoMac holds 8800 breeder hens

MoArk-4 barns (all 40 x 400 feet)

• MoArk holds 8800 breeder hens

MoPhe-4 barns ( 2 barns are 40 x 400 feet and 2 barns are 50x 500 feet)

• MoPhe holds 10,600 breeder hens

Egg Production at the Missouri Barns Runs Through the Third Week of July

• At the beginning of July we transition to one egg picker per farm, freeing three employees to concentrate on outdoor projects. This year’s projects included re-securing the metal on the barn roofs, installing barbed wire fencing along the roadside and removing brush and trees near our dwelling houses and production barns. When the season ends and egg collection is complete, a plan is put into effect to catch and transport the breeders to WI to molt, re-feather and ship in November.
• All roosters are netted out and tail feathers pulled at catching time for proper tail growth in Janesville.
• The staff will catch two barns per night to ship to WI. The entire move-out process takes six days.

Barn Preparation Between Seasons

• Barns are cleaned out of all bedding/pressure washed then re-bedded.
• Feed lines, fans, waterers & heaters go through preventative maintenance.
• Egg wash machines go through preventative maintenance, then water is drained to prevent freezing during winter.
• Light bulbs are replaced.
• Alarm systems are tested.
• Houses for our employees are thoroughly cleaned and winterized to prepare for the winter months. Our labor force returns in February.

Between September and January

• During this time selected breeders are shipped from WI to MO and placed in barns (typically 4400 birds are shipped every 2-3 wks). The last shipment is by the end of November.
• Farm upkeep including mowing requires a substantial amount of time.
• Vehicle preventative maintenance is done during this period of time.
• Training and calming of birds is another job that must be done. All barns are walked through daily, for an hour, in the pattern our egg pickers will be walking, to train the birds to walk away as the employees pick eggs during production.
• Supplies for the upcoming egg season are ordered and stocked in MO
• Work schedules are created.

Site Information

• MoMac  has an egg washer & cooler on site for MoMac’s production
• MoPhe has an egg washer & cooler on site for MoPhe and MoArks production
• At peak production MO is collecting and washing over 23,000 eggs daily
• Washed eggs are transported to WI three to four times per week.

If you have questions about breeder facilities, please contact Troy at t.cisewski@pheasant.com. He is a busy man, with responsibilities in both Missouri and Janesville, but he is always willing to share his knowledge.