Pheasant.com Blog

Shayne has worked for MacFarlane Pheasants for 11 years. He was originally hired as an assistant manager in the flight pen operation, but he quickly moved into the management position and stayed for eight years. After that he worked in the hatchery for a season before becoming the manager of the food products building. He told us that he learned his management skills in college, but that his experience and on the job training provided most of the skills he needs to do his job.  Read More »

We let you know in February 2017 that construction had started on a new building on MacFarlane Pheasants. We are excited to report that our new hen barn construction has been completed. The electricians are working to complete their role in this project and cages that are a part of the facility have arrived in port from Germany. The benefit to this expansion is that by November of this year our dressed bird production will be significantly expanded. Read More »

Wing Banding is one of the many jobs done by our research crew. We wing band our pedigree birds to keep track of who their parents/grandparents are, weights, egg production and even the exact location of the bird. Identifying our pedigree birds is done so that we have a continuous cycle of producing the best pheasants. Read More »

The WI Livestock and Meat Council Inc. is a 58-year-old company located in Wisconsin. They established the WI Meat Industry Hall of Fame to recognize the contributions of individuals who have had a significant impact on the meat industry of Wisconsin. These contributions may be business ventures, ideas, processes, inventions, or any other effort that has positively influence the people and environment of Wisconsin. Don MacFarlane, who started his pheasant business in Janesville Wisconsin, was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame on May 4, 2017. His company lives on as MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc and has grown to be the largest Pheasant farm in North America, owned and operated by Don’s son, Bill MacFarlane.  Read More »

We are renting a new machine from UW Madison called the Aeromaster PT-120 Compost Turner. Now that is a mouthful of words! This new machine works strictly in an aerobic process. We can inoculate the decomposing material with many strains of bacteria to build up the humus crumb.  In other words, we expect our compost material to revert back to environmentally friendly dirt! Read More »

Our game birds are cool because they are beautiful and healthy!  But, in addition to being cool, we have to keep them cool. One of the ways we keep them comfortable is by using fans and intakes to move and refresh the stagnant air in our barns. This is one of the many ways we create a healthy and productive growing environment. Read More »

Delivery driver applications are considered year-round. Read More »

The guidelines used to provide feed and water to pheasants from birth to maturity are like a recipe. If the recipe is followed, the end result will be the same each time. If an ingredient is changed or missing, who knows what the end result will be? Here are the guidelines we use for feed, water, and space to raise our fabulous pheasants. Read More »