What birds to start with?

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Schatz's Pop
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Location: Northwest Catskill Mountains of NY

What birds to start with?

Post by Schatz's Pop » Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:29 am

I am going to put in a bird cage and small flight pen and was wondering if any particular bird is much easier than others to keep?

I am in the north west catskill of NY where winter temps get down to -20 so I do not think I'm going to overwinter the birds.

I do have my NY class B game breeders license so I am legally allowed to keep and maintain them for training and release, I cannot sell them.

I have a breeder fairly close that usually has pheasants (too big I think for training), partridge (don't know if they are chucker(sp?) or Huns, and I have access to other breeders that usually will have some sort of quail.

I can kill the pheasants by hunting during the season but not the others as there is no season for them in the catskills. Would have to kill them during training or dispatch them by hand before winter.

I don't know anything about keeping pigeons.

I'm thinking 5-7 for this year with maybe up to 10 for next season.

Any ideas or advice?

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CDN_Cocker
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Re: What birds to start with?

Post by CDN_Cocker » Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:55 am

Pigeons!

cjhills
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Re: What birds to start with?

Post by cjhills » Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:20 am

Pigeons for sure. You can keep them over winter with no heat no matter how cold it gets. Naked babies survive thirty below. Shoot them whenever you like plus the ones you do not shoot will come back to your loft. they will reproduce so you have plenty of birds. They are tough and fly good.......................Cj

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RoostersMom
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Re: What birds to start with?

Post by RoostersMom » Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:23 am

Pigeons are much hardier and easier to keep than other game birds. Also, they are reusable as they home back to the coop so you can use them all day long for fly away drills and whoa/steady training.

pato y codoniz
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Re: What birds to start with?

Post by pato y codoniz » Mon Jul 20, 2015 11:00 am

I'd raise pigeons because they're hearty and homing animals.

On the other hand, quail are always looking for a reason to die.

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