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It has been 14 years since MacFarlane Pheasants successfully imported a shipment of Manchurian pheasants direct from China. In 1989 the eggs were collected near Changchun City, which is in the Jilin Province. The Chinese people who collected the eggs indicated that most of the eggs were found along the borders between cropland and brushy forested areas. The people also reported that the pheasants are part of the local diet and are very hard to catch.

Another season of brooding is upon us. Here are a few reminders to take to heart. Hopefully you had the time in the off season to do any improvements, maintenance or repairs to your brooding facilities. Anything from sealing the building from drafts, upgrading feed systems, ventilation, water system or heat source, replacing belts, hoses and light bulbs. Any mechanical devise can and will fail at some point. Guard against this by keeping everything well maintained.

For those of you who have never been to visit our farm, there is a new four lane bypass around Janesville that runs along and through our farm. The City of Janesville is now nearly surrounding us. We look at this as an opportunity. In the coming years, depending upon the local economy and land values, we may decide to move our pheasant operation to a new location.

Jed, our 5 year old Border Collie is a great asset to MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. He is now involved with our daily routine. From poults to adults, Jed is used to move birds. When it comes to driving birds, Jed is a big help.

Transitioning pheasants from the brooder barn to the flight pen can be a difficult and frustrating experience. We have come up with a recipe, if you will, on how to properly transition pheasants to the flight pens. By following the recipe, the transition should be a smooth one.

This past March a group of company employees met to discuss the future of our company. One of the suggestions that originated at that meeting was to change the name of our company.

Over the years, nearly all aspects of pheasants and farming were accomplished on our farm by farm employees. In the 60's and 70's we planted and harvested corn, soybeans and oats. The soybeans were roasted in our own roasting machine, and ground in our own hammermill with the corn and oats to make feed for our pheasants. Farm employees did our electrical wiring and plumbing. We had our own sand and gravel pit for material to make our roads.

In the fall of 2002, we at MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. decided to look into developing and producing a better website. We wanted to create a website that would do three main things: 1) better support our customer by providing a mountain of information that is easy to access, 2) provide a virtual tour of our facilities for those who would like to view the process of raising quality gamebirds, 3) update our online store with pictures, recipes, and other items for sale.

At MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. we currently utilize four Freightliner FL60s with sleeper berths and flatbeds. Three of our trucks also have separate refrigerated boxes for hauling day old chicks and eggs. We added our third reefer this spring because the versatility of this set up is greater than the cargo vans.

We here at MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. are busy at work planning the 4th Annual International Pheasant Management Seminar. The dates we have planned this informational seminar are March 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2004. The seminar has been held every other year, and we are looking forward to many great speakers from around the country and from MacFarlane's as well.

MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. has always been the leader in the pheasant production industry for live birds. We are now leading the industry again - this time with our food products. Why MacFarlane Pheasants? you ask. The answer is simple: availability, quality, and our pheasants have plumper breast meat than other ringneck pheasants.

I have been a part of MacFarlane Pheasants Inc. now for about 10 years. I have been in charge of mature sales for 5 seasons. As I have been a part of this, I have seen a great deal of growth in our operation.

An issue that has come to light in our home state (Wisconsin) is the taxation of gamebirds from producer to hunt clubs/shooting preserves. At present, the law in effect requires the payment of sales tax when the bird is sold by the producer to a hunt club or shooting preserve. In our world of taxation, the hunt clubs and shooting preserves are considered recreational entities which require the payment of sales tax for their purchases.

In 1929, MacFarlane Pheasant Farm, a family owned and operated business, was established. Many changes have occurred over the years as the business grew. The advancement and introduction of technology on the farm has facilitated this growth and continues to be a tool in making the farm successful.

Welcome to our Specialty Shop. Our freezer is full of dressed and smoked pheasant with sizes ranging from small to plump. If you are planning a candle-light dinner for two or a special holiday meal, stop in for a great selection. We also carry other delicious meats such as bison, ostrich, duck, quail, rabbit and wild boar.

Pheasants are not native to North America. Pheasants were imported from England in the late 1800's. Because of abundant upland habitat, pheasants flourished here. Pheasants continue to be bred and raised in the United Kingdom.

The MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. breeder crew will once again begin the huge task of sorting and selecting next year’s breeder flock. The size of this task is outweighed only by the importance that we place upon it.

Welcome to MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. Gift Shop. Here you can find a grand assortment of specialty meats, as well as our “Phabulous” dressed and smoked pheasants.

Three species of Mycoplasma can cause diseases in birds: M. gallisepticum (MG), M. melleagridis (MM), and M. synoviae (MS). A fourth species, M. iowae, often considered an avian pathogen, is associated with embryonic mortality and lowered hatchability but not with clinical diseases.

Looking back on how I reared a few hundred birds for my father when I was younger, the technology, techniques, and information available today is amazing!

Proper egg collection and sanitation procedures are key components of early chick health. Cleaning eggs in an effective manner reduces the prevalence of diseases such as E-coli and yolk sac infection in day old chicks.

MacFarlane Pheasant, Inc. customers are never on their own after they purchase chicks, mature birds, or any of our other products.

MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. handles the transportation of our chicks to our customers in two different ways. The first is delivering chicks directly to the customer, while the second is delivering the chicks to the Minneapolis Post Office for priority mail shipment.

It is that time of year again. You are getting ready to start another pheasant chick season; or maybe it is your first season and you do not know where to start. I know what you are feeling.

Game bird hatcheries face a seasonal window in which they can rear chicks for release in the late summer and fall. MacFarlane Pheasants Inc. uses several different production strategies to ensure the availability of an ample supply of healthy chicks throughout the chick season.

When it comes to rearing pheasants it is not just a matter of building pens, putting in some feed and water, and wishing the birds good luck. We follow guidelines, which can help you rear quality pheasants.

Proper diet and nutrition are key components of rearing a quality bird. They can affect everything from mortality to flight ability. Just like people, game birds need a balanced diet to grow, live, and survive; for this reason, a complete feed is the best option to feed game birds.

It is safe to say that all captive game bird flocks are exposed to one or more species of Mycoplasma. Mycoplasma are bacteria-like organisms that can invade the body of a bird and cause serious health problems, usually respiratory.

It is with pride that we have followed the success of our Manchurian Cross pheasants across the United States, Canada and in Europe.

In the first half of the 20th century, commercial pheasant farms traditionally hatched the first chicks of the season in mid to late April. Starting around 1960, my father began lighting pheasant breeders to induce our hens to lay eggs earlier. The reason my dad began to light our hens was that he found that there was a demand for earlier chicks.

Whether you are a veterinarian, doctor, poultry man, game bird producer or just a person who heard the news that came out of Asia during 2003 and 2004, Avian Influenza (AI) otherwise known as bird flu conjures up many thoughts and fears.

Aspergillosis can be a very devastating disease to a young flock. Aspergillosis is caused by the mold Aspergillosis fumigatus that can be found in both bedding and feed. If there is mold present in the brooder house the birds will breath in the spores and become infected.

At six to seven weeks of age, pheasants are moved from the brooder barn into flight pens. They live in these flight pens until they are shipped, around twenty-two weeks of age. Understanding how to manage covered pens is essential in producing a quality pheasant.

After struggling through the 2004 season to keep up with hot water usage, I was determined to find a better system for our egg washing machine than the conventional seventy-five gallon water heater.

MacFarlane Pheasants are the perfect gourmet gift for that special person on your shopping list. We have been rearing pheasants for over 75 years. We feed only natural grains, without growth hormones, antibiotics or animal by-products. Our pheasants are lower in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than chicken, domestic turkey, or lean beef. We offer a great selection of pheasants, specialty meats, preserves, condiments, mustards, and rice. There are several cranberry items that nicely acc

MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. In Hot Water After struggling through the 2004 season to keep up with hot water usage, I was determined to find a better system for our egg washing machine than the conventional seventy-five gallon water heater.

MacFarlane Pheasants' Winter 2010 Newsletter

Winter 2011 Newsletter

July 2011 MacFarlane Messenger

Fall 2012 NewsLetter

Since 2007, MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. has participated in the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo, showing off our food products selections, talking with chefs, restaurant owners, media personnel and culinary students about our products and discussing how to fit pheasant on the menu.