Shop Products
0 Items

Do you know the item # of the product you want to order?

Notice

The item you have selected () is back-ordered and will not be shipped with the rest of your order. If you order now, we will ship it to you as quickly as possible after it arrives.

  or  

Item Not Found

The item you have selected () could not be found. Please check the item # you entered.

Game Bird Supplies

Game Bird Basics

Raising game birds can be an enjoyable hobby. Several of our Premier employees raise game birds each year for:
  • Field trials
  • Gun-dog training
  • The dinner table

Raising game birds

We asked our in-house game bird experts, “What do you wish you knew when you first started raising birds?” They responded:
  1. Choose a reputable game bird breeder who can supply day-old chicks or eggs that are free of disease or hatch your own using Borotto® egg incubators.
  2. Keep birds dry—very dry. Quail are affected by excess moisture more than other birds. Brooders must be secure, draft-free and warm.
  3. As with chickens, heat is important. However, newborn quail and pheasants are even more sensitive to temperature changes. For healthy birds, use Premier's Prima Heat Lamp® or Heating Plates to help maintain a consistent temperature.
  4. Feed game bird chicks supplemental protein. Most poultry starter rations contain 18% to 20% protein. However, game birds need 24% to 28% protein for the first 6 weeks.
  5. Don’t mix age groups until birds are fully grown.

Predator Control

Opossums, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, skunks, coyotes and many other predators see game birds, their feed and their eggs as a food source.

Which netting is best?

Because they can fly, most game birds are raised in covered runs—electrified netting is not used to contain them. However, properly electrified netting installed around the pen’s perimeter deters their four-footed predators.
  • Shock-Or-Not™ Poultry Fence—a multi-purpose electric poultry net fence with a non-electrifiable chick-tight mesh along the bottom. This combination allows you to use the enclosure as a non-electrified day pen for small birds, or electrified for effective predator protection day and night.
  • Portable netting—choose 42" PoultryNet or 48" PoultryNet to protect flight pens that will be moved daily or weekly.
  • Semi-Permanent netting—choose 48" PermaNet Plus to protect flight pens that will be moved daily or weekly.

Enhanced control

Bury galvanized hardware cloth 8" deep around the outside of the pen to provide additional security from small predators and rodents. Keep feed in sealed metal containers (not loose bags). Spilled grain and stored feed are irresistible to some rodents and pests. Don’t invite them to your bird area. Local predators are immediately interested in your game birds—they will see, hear and smell them. Before predators check out your operation, install electric netting and all other security measures for total 24/7 protection.