Overview 

Game birds are those birds that have traditionally been wild or hunted but have been raised commercially for their meat, for egg production or for release in hunting preserves. Commonly raised game birds include guinea fowl, partridges, peacocks, pheasants, pigeons and doves, quail or squab (a young pigeon), swans, wild turkeys and some ducks, such as mallards or wood ducks. Of these species, only pigeon, quail, squab and wild turkey are native. Game birds are also raised for exhibit or for hobby purposes.  January 2008 . . . Game Birds

Marketing

• Add Value through Marketing, Sustainable Ag Research and Education (SARE) Program, USDA, 1999 - This tip sheet offers a variety of methods to consider in direct marketing, niche marketing or in value-added processing.
• How to Begin and Survive a Commercial Gamebird Farm, Gamebird Publications - This 33-page downloadable manual covers business planning, bird production and product marketing.
• The Game Bird and Conservationist’s Gazette - Magazine used extensively for marketing of game birds and eggs. 
• Identifying Opportunities for Agricultural Growth – Game Birds, Chilliwack Agricultural Commission - This Canadian publication gives an overview of the opportunities associated with the U.S. and the Canadian Game Bird market.
• Marketing Ringneck Pheasants, North Dakota State University Extension, 1993 - The most worrisome element of pheasant production is not whether pheasants can be effectively managed in confinement, but whether a market can be found for them that will offer a sufficient return. To help in the marketing investigation phase, it is necessary to know what the likely costs of producing the pheasants will be. The publication includes an example spreadsheet of production costs and return on investment.
• North American Gamebird Association - On-line forums and state-by-state directories related to gamebird suppliers, buyers, production, marketing and related industry products.

Processing/Manufacturing

• American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) - North America’s largest meat trade organization. Publications, HACCP help, nutritional labeling information and industry links are provided at their Web site.
• HACCP & HACCP Implementation, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA - Publications related to HACCP implementation.
• Labeling Claims and Regulations, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA - The USDA is responsible for ensuring that meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome and accurately labeled. View information about labeling claims and apply for approval of a specific label.
• National Poultry Improvement Plan, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA - Regulations and information on the interstate shipment of gamebirds, pullorum-typhoid monitoring, etc.
• Processing Farm-Raised Poultry, Kansas State University, 2000 - Guide to home processing of poultry.

Production

• Agricultural Alternatives: Pheasant Production, Penn State University, 2004 - This free downloadable or for-purchase print publication covers the economics, problems and considerations inherent in full and part-time pheasant farming. This six-page publication, part of the Agricultural Alternatives series focusing on small-scale and part-time farming operations, covers pheasant marketing, getting started, hatching and rearing young birds, and disease problems, and includes sample budgets and references for more information.
• Game Birds Frequently Asked Questions, Canadian Ministry of Agriculture - This site provides information on marketing and production topics such as nutrition, management, health, housing and other information about game birds.
• Illinois Specialty Farm Products, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - The college developed this research project in collaboration with the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. The Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research is funding this project as part of its Special Research Initiative on Rural Community Development. List of Internet sites dealing with gamebird production, including cost-production budgets, avian influenza, and other information and issue updates from a range of state extension services.
• Issues: Shooting Preserves, USDA - Hunting and Conservation Issues/Gamebird Shooting Preserves is a publication that discusses the ethics and recreational impact of preserve hunting for upland game birds. This publication includes a breakdown of the economic benefits for owners, operators, and the community, as well as overall habitat improvement and benefits for non-game species.
• Pheasant Production, Penn State University Extension, 1996 - This publication provides some marketing information and complete production information, including sample budgets.
• Profile of the Canadian Gamebird Industry, Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1991 - An extensive analysis of the Canadian gamebird industry. This site contains slaughter figures, growth and constraints on the industry, protein and fat composition analyisis for different species, marketing and promotions, industry organization, and other information.
• That Quail Place - A Web site created for individuals interested in raising quail and game birds. The site contains information about coturnix quail, bobwhite quail, pharaoh quail, button quail, pheasant, partridge and other game birds. There is information regarding the general care, breeding, incubating, brooding and raising of various species. An area also is provided for those interested in purchasing supplies, including equipment used for raising and breeding quail, live birds, hatching eggs, and literature.
• Raising Bobwhite Quail for Commercial Use, Mississippi State University Extension, 2001 - This ppublication is on production, management, with some marketing information included for those wishing to raise game birds for hunting preserves, the restaurant market or for wildlife release.

Businesses/Case Studies

• American Pheasant and Waterfowl Society - Organization to promote the rights and interest of the members to keep and rear pheasants, waterfowl, and other upland aquatic and ornamental birds. The group also collects and distributes pertinent and scientific data and information relating to keeping and rearing of pheasants, waterfowl and other upland aquatic and ornamental birds by means of its magazine. The organization advocates and encourages public appreciation and understanding of wildlife conservation and promotes the breeding of endangered bird and waterfowl species in their pure forms.
• Brush Dale Farm, Iowa - Example of an integrated agritourism operation hunting preserve. More than 200 acres of prairie restoration with nesting pheasant, quail and wild turkey. Gamebird production augments natural nesting and offsets harvest during the regular hunting season. Other recreation includes swimming and pond fishing, lodging is available. Operation publishes and e-newsletter for clients and interested individuals. 
• High Plains Game Ranch, Nisland, South Dakota - In the mid-1980s, this cattle business diversified by adding commercial pheasant hunting.
• Hunts Point Sportsman's Club: a Case Study, Pequot Lakes, Minnesota - The main goal of this operation is to provide guests with a true hunting experience and exciting, unique shooting opportunities.
• Lake Cumberland Game Bird Farm & Hatchery - Example of a major operation providing packaged meat, gifts, flight-ready birds and brood stock.
• MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc., Janesville, Wisconsin - A company that offers pheasant meat products, along with a variety of specialty products, such as rabbit, wild boar, ostrich, buffalo and quail. The business has an online store and provides resource information on the product line.
• Oakwood Game Farm, Princeton, Minnesota - In 1967, the operation started raising pheasants with 50 chicks. In the spring of 2003, they will produce more than a half million live and processed pheasants.
• The Parrot Pages - Gamebird breeders, producers, suppliers and businesses listing of many online sites.