Pheasant.com Blog

We use Grow Gel with our newborn chicks at MacFarlane Pheasants because it provides immediate hydration and nutrition. Grow Gel is a powder mixed with water to form a gel-like substance. It has a bright green color that attracts the chicks to the feed source. Read More »

MacFarlane Pheasants is going through some growth opportunities, now that we’ve sold what was considered our “main” farm. Changes are being made, and pens are being added at a frenetic pace. As mentioned before (but please note when sending anything through the mail), our physical store has closed, and our office staff has moved to 1609 Center Avenue. Our Oak Hill farm is still fully operational with 22 acres of flight pens. That is where we also moved our new break room. We recently bought land from a farmer that is contiguous to our farm, which enabled us to build enough pens to hold 65,000 pheasants and partridges. And we’re currently working with the city to create an enhanced hatchery. All these exciting events were a reason to show off our farm! Read More »

French Red-legged partridges have been a popular choice for game hunters in the UK for many years. We have sold them for approximately 14 years at MacFarlane Pheasants. Hunting clubs across the United States appreciate having these interesting and high-flying partridges available for release because they add a real challenge to the hunt because of their flight and speed. We have been hatching the Red-legged partridge eggs, secured from France, since around 2009. To bring the eggs into the United States, we must apply for an import permit with the federal government three weeks before shipment. Upon approval, the eggs go to Chicago, where the U.S. Fish & Wildlife examines the eggs for clearance into the United States. We sell the French Red-legged partridges only as mature birds because of the work it takes to get the eggs here. We raise about 40,000 Red legs each year, and they are shipped to customers between August and the end of December. Red-legged partridges don’t do well in extreme cold and snow. We have customers who hold them indoors through the cold months and release them for spring hunts. The partridges we raise are known for their wild and flighty characteristics. They are rotund birds with light brown backs, grey breasts, and buff bellies. Their faces are white with a black patch of color at the throat. They have streaked flanks and red legs and make excellent early-season birds. To get more information about the French Red-Leg, you can contact Sarah at [email protected]. Read More »

Please mark your calendar for March 3-6th, 2024, to attend the International Pheasant Management Seminar hosted by MacFarlane Pheasants in beautiful Wisconsin! This year’s event will take place in Beloit, Wisconsin, at the Ironworks Hotel. Accommodations for attendees are at the Ironworks Hotel or the Hotel Goodwin, located across the street from the Ironworks Hotel. Both locations are offered at a special rate of $129.00 per night for the seminar duration. Registration is $600 for attendees and includes all seminar workshops. Registration also includes Sunday dinner, and all lunches and dinners on Monday and Tuesday. To register online, please click our link or call us at 608-757-7881. We are also inviting vendors. Registration is $950, including a booth and Sunday dinner, all lunches, and dinners on Monday and Tuesday. Each additional person is $600. If you want to register as a vendor, please call Sarah Pope at 608-757-7881. Vendor spaces are limited, so please don’t wait to reserve your space! We are excited to offer an outstanding itinerary for this event. Registration begins at 3:00 on Sunday, March 3, 2024. We will take you by bus at 6:00 pm to the Prime Quarter Steak House, with dinner at 6:30 pm. Read More »

We opened our chick sales at MacFarlane Pheasants on October 9, 2024, and will continue to take orders until the week before the last hatch in August! Our first hatch will be in March, but this is the smallest hatch of the season, so the availability of chicks is more limited at that hatching. We continue hatching chicks through spring and summer, and our last hatch is in the middle of August. We sell and deliver over a million chicks during the season so we will have lots of chicks! These are day-old chicks, and you may choose from the following varieties: Ringneck, Kansas Ringneck, Manchurian Cross, Melanistic Mutant, Extra Large Ringneck, and Chukar Partridge. You can find detailed pricing and shipping information on our website. Shipping through the USPS has been a successful delivery method for many years, and we anticipate the process to go smoothly during 2024. We also provide a percentage of chicks with each order to account for any loss during shipping. Read More »

The holidays will be here before we know it, and charcuterie boards have become popular for tasty foods and an impressive presentation. MacFarlane Pheasants sells smoked pheasant sausage at their online store and this product is the perfect centerpiece for a classy charcuterie board. You can find all the suggested additions for your board by downloading our cookbook. It’s free! Read More »

We have been busy reorganizing our buildings at MacFarlane Pheasants since the sale of property at what we called our "Main Farm." We plan to complete our moves by December 31, 2023. Our main office in Janesville, Wisconsin, has already moved to 1609 Center Avenue. Please send all office mail to that address. Our Oak Hill Farm in Janesville has 22 acres of flight pens that hold approximately 40,000 flight birds. Recently, we constructed pens west of Oak Hill that hold 65,000 mature pheasants and partridges! Our staff built these pens this summer to compensate for what we will lose on the original "Main Farm" site. We are currently in the process of building a break room at the Oak Hill site. The new break room is being built by remodeling an egg wash room. Work has commenced on this project, and we expect to have the space completed by the end of October 2023. Employee break rooms are an important part of any business. Providing an area in the workplace for team members is good for the staff, but it’s also beneficial for the company. Long-term productivity is often increased when the needs of employees are part of business planning. Employees are still using the break room on the "Main Farm" but will soon use the remodeled space at Oak Hill Farm. Read More »

Our Maintenance Department does a complete inspection of our leased trucks before they leave the farm for deliveries. Each inspection follows the Department of Transportation guidelines. We start with a walk-around review that looks for leaks, dents, or other damage. We check the muffler, tire pressure, wheels, lights, doors, windows, and mirrors. Our next procedure involves an under-the-hood inspection. We check the oil, radiator, and all fluids. The battery connections, drive belt, hoses and wires are inspected. We start the engine to ensure gauges, wipers, horns, defroster, emergency brakes, steering, lifts, and back-up beepers are in perfect condition. At the end of our complete inspection we ensure that the fire extinguisher and first aid kit are full and included. The seat belt cutter, reflectors, seatbelts and handrails are examined for security and condition. All repairs are made before our trucks leave MacFarlane Pheasants. The Maintenance Department is responsible for making sure we are compliant with all state and federal guidelines. This is a very important component for ensuring that deliveries leave and arrive on time! Read More »