Migrated from the association's existing getting-started guide.
Thinking about raising upland gamebirds or opening a hunting preserve? This guide covers what the association's experienced producers wish every newcomer knew before they began.
An industry with room to grow
The upland gamebird sector is a substantial opportunity. Roughly 40 million gamebirds are produced in the U.S. each year — bobwhite quail, ring-necked pheasants, chukar, Hungarian partridge, mallards, and other ducks — and about 5,000 hunting preserves generate an estimated $1 billion for the economy.
The market is not saturated. Breeders routinely run out of birds before the selling or hunting season ends.
First: check the regulations
Before anything else, contact your state Department of Natural Resources or Wildlife Commission. Every state has its own laws governing captive propagation of upland gamebirds.
Build your knowledge
- Visit established, successful gamebird operations in your area
- Join the South Eastern Gamebird Breeders & Hunting Preserve Association
- Join the North American Gamebird Association (NAGA)
- Join your local state gamebird association, if there is one
- Ask questions of experienced operators — and listen to their counsel
Do a market feasibility study
- Where will you sell your product?
- To whom will you sell your product?
- How much product can you sell?
Plan your finances
Feed is the most critical expense — it will either make you or break you.
- Starter feed: minimum 27% protein for young birds
- Developer feed: lower protein, introduced after 4–6 weeks of age
- Source quality feed that is scientifically formulated and consistent
A strong recommendation for newcomers: begin as a buyer-and-seller rather than incubating and hatching from day one.
Housing and growing systems
- Hybrid system: young birds are brooded in houses, then moved to netted outdoor flight pens.
- Confinement system: birds are grown entirely indoors from grow-out through flight conditioning.
Disease prevention and biosecurity
- Never mix birds of different ages or different species
- Avoid overcrowding
- Never introduce birds from other operations
- Keep cats and dogs out
- Control rodents and wild birds
- Always work from younger birds to older
- Dispose of dead birds immediately
- Clean and disinfect all pens between flocks
Running a hunting preserve
- Verify state regulations on possession and release
- Habitat quality and property maintenance
- Gun safety — paramount
- Kennel operations and dog welfare
Check state regulations before any startup activity, join the relevant organizations, and consult experienced operators.