We started raising Hungarian partridges around 1990. Hungarians are called Huns in the U.S. and are called grey-legged partridges in the U.K. and France. We purchased the eggs from Papsoes Wiltfarm in Denmark. We hatched the Hun chicks in our hatchery, and then raised the chicks on tables for 10 days and then brooded them similarly to chukars. At around 8 weeks of age, we transitioned the Huns to outside pens (on the ground, not on wire). In the mid 90's we began buying our eggs from a Hun farm located in Iowa called Pine Tree Lane, owned and operated by Gene and Nancy Burken.
Huns can be more difficult to raise than pheasants or chukars, and as we developed more business for the Huns in the later 90's, we started buying adult Huns from the Burkens. Eventually, we discontinued raising Huns, and just bought adult Huns from the Burkens.
Over the past years then we have purchased 25,000 up to 35,000 adult Huns a year from the Burkens. The Burkens have decided to retire from the Hun business, and we are buying most of their equipment. We are constructing a 320' X 42' Hun brooding building along with 10 acres of Hun pens. So starting in 2013, we again are in the Hun raising business. We have hired a new manager for the operation and have our Hun eggs coming from our friend Olivier in France.
Pictured with this blog is the building site for the new Hun building. Construction will start on the building hopefully on January 14th. Our first hatch of Huns is scheduled for March 19th. Our intention is to hatch 60,000 Huns this year. So, stay tuned for more information on how to raise pheasants, particularly Huns.