The chukar chicks arrived around noon on Wednesday of last week. I had some great help in preparing for their arrival from my friend Russ Peterson at Rooster Valley Pheasants gamebird farm. I was not prepared for how small the day-old chukar chicks were. The first night or two were a little tricky as there was a bit of a cold spell in our valley. I had to use a propane camp stove to keep the temperatures up in my brooder rooms.

The 250 watt heat lamps were providing great heat in the center of the brooder but the edge temps were a little low. I added a fourth heat lamp on the edge of each circle to help with the problem. The pine shavings seem to work well for a ground covering and an insulator. I used some paper plates for feeders to double my feeding space for the first few days.

I was very impressed with my low pressure nipple waterers that I purchased from Natures Way. It took a little bit of adjusting to get them leveled and working properly. The chicks didn’t take long to figure out how to get water from the nipples.

So far I have only lost about 8 chicks since they arrived 5 days ago. The ones that seem to die are either weak or runts. I wonder if I could set-up a quarantine area and try to save some of the birds that look like they are struggling. They are starting to consume huge amounts of feed now. Luckily I have a neighbor who mixes high protien feeds and he delivers it right to my barn.

Through all of my reading and learning about dog training I have found it impossible to train a bird dog without access to plenty of birds. This week I finished construction on a small pigeon coop in the corner of my existing chicken coop. I framed in a 4×8 area with a raised wire floor next to a window. It should work well for 6-8 breeding pairs of pigeons.

In the rear of the pigeon coop is a small window that opens to an outside aviary where they can perch and get some fresh air. When my little flock of pigeons gets larger I will fly my younger birds and train them to home back to the aviary. The two pigeons in the pictures are common barn pigeons that I trapped.

The nesting boxes were built above the window to the aviary. There is room for 6 breeding pairs of pigeons with the current setup. I placed some grit on the floor with clean water, food and straw for nesting materials. Next week I will purchase a few breeding pairs of roller pigeons from a neighbor. These are basically his culls that don’t fly/roll as well as he would like. Should be perfect for bird dog training.

After working with Chris the other day I wanted to give it a go with Abby. Chris was kind enough to have me along as the shooter again and agreed to run Abby through the same drills. The first problem was that Abby was a little too hyper and it took her a minute to settle down and focus. Next time I think it would help to run her for a bit on the ATV to help take the edge off. It was cold and windy but she finally scented the bird, but her point was a bit weak. I think with a few more birds her pointing will improve as she learns what is expected.

After Abby help a point for a minute or two we released the hen pheasant and let her fly a ways before I shot her. As soon as the bird hit the ground, Chris released Abby for the retrieve. She found the bird without any trouble but was a little tentative to pick it up. She seemed to just want to stand proudly over it knowing it was her prize. At one point she kind of wandered around the area to see if there might be another bird down. Finally, she settled down and picked the bird up. I knelt down and she brought it right to me. For a job well done we heaped on the praise and made sure she knew she did something good. In a few days we will try it all again in a different setting with new terrrain and unfamiliar surroundings.

While checking the pigeon nest in my barn this afternoon I discovered that one of the eggs had hatched. It was an awkward looking pile of skin wriggling around in the nest. I would dare say the second egg will hatch later today sometime. The other pigeons in the flock are starting to come a little further into the barn for the feed I put out for them. Today I picked up the lumber to build a pigeon coop in my barn next to the chicken coop. The spot already has an existing aviary and will work quite nicely for raising pigeons.

I’ve decided to go ahead and raise 500 chukar partridge chicks this Summer. This will be a partnership with my friend Russ Peterson who runs a Utah Pheasant Hunting Club. He usually raises around 5000 ringneck pheasants each year for use on his pheasant preserve. He says a lot of his clients have requested the chance to hunt both pheasant and chukar. In May I will go with Russ to the hatchery to pick up the day old pheasant and chukar chicks. I have a bit of work to do to get the barn ready for the chukars. I am going to sectioin off one end of my bird barn for the chukars. I can use the existing insulated brooder rooms to get them through the first few weeks of life. After their feathers grow in good I will move them to the big flight pen. I am researching the possibilites of raising some quail also.