Migrated from the association's existing getting-started guide. The board may refine it during review.
Thinking about raising upland gamebirds or opening a hunting preserve? This guide covers what the association's experienced producers wish every newcomer knew before they began.
An industry with room to grow
The upland gamebird sector is a substantial opportunity. Roughly 40 million gamebirds are produced in the U.S. each year — bobwhite quail, ring-necked pheasants, chukar, Hungarian partridge, mallards, and other ducks — and about 5,000 hunting preserves generate an estimated $1 billion for the economy. North Carolina alone produces some 4 million gamebirds a year, contributing roughly $20 million to the state's economy. Birds ship as day-old chicks, juveniles, or flight-conditioned stock across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Mexico.
The market is not saturated. Breeders routinely run out of birds before the selling or hunting season ends, and most established operations have sales booked a year in advance. Declining public and private hunting land and ongoing habitat loss keep demand strong.
First: check the regulations
Before anything else, contact your state Department of Natural Resources or Wildlife Commission. Every state has its own laws governing captive propagation of upland gamebirds — understand your local legal requirements before you invest a dollar.
Build your knowledge
- Visit established, successful gamebird operations in your area
- Join the South Eastern Gamebird Breeders & Hunting Preserve Association
- Join the North American Gamebird Association (NAGA)
- Join your local state gamebird association, if there is one
- Ask questions of experienced operators — and listen to their counsel
Do a market feasibility study
Before launching, answer three questions honestly:
- Where will you sell your product?
- To whom will you sell your product?
- How much product can you sell?
This takes legwork and a lot of phone calls. Contact potential buyers directly and confirm: "If I can provide you X birds at X price, will you buy them?" Pricing varies by location. For a hunting preserve, go visit and hunt at existing operations to understand how they price birds for customers.
Plan your finances
Start-up costs
Budget for facilities (poultry houses, flight pens, or a combination), equipment, and upkeep. A strong recommendation for newcomers: begin as a buyer-and-seller rather than incubating and hatching from day one. Buy day-old chicks or juveniles, raise them to release age, and sell. Running a full multi-phase operation (breeding, brooding, flight-developing) at once is a major risk without substantial experience.
Operating costs
Feed is the most critical expense — it will either make you or break you.
- Starter feed: minimum 27% protein for young birds
- Developer feed: lower protein, introduced after 4–6 weeks of age
- Source quality feed that is scientifically formulated and consistent, and monitor consumption carefully
- Budget for additives — medications, probiotics, and direct-fed microbials
Also plan for bird transportation to customers, advertising, telephone, and electricity or natural gas.
Housing and growing systems
Two primary approaches:
- Hybrid system: young birds are brooded in houses on wood-shaving floors with a heat source, then moved to netted outdoor flight pens as they mature.
- Confinement system: birds are grown entirely indoors from grow-out through flight conditioning — reportedly with fewer disease problems and similar feathering and flying ability to outdoor-reared birds.
Disease prevention and biosecurity
Every producer meets disease challenges. Prevention takes constant vigilance and a structured approach.
Core practices
- Never mix birds of different ages or different species
- Avoid overcrowding, and eliminate stressors like temperature extremes and poor nutrition
- Use an approved coccidiostat in feeds
- Never introduce birds from other operations
- Keep cats and dogs out — they mechanically transmit disease
- Control rodents and wild birds (sparrows) in pens and houses
- Keep grass trimmed and debris cleared around facilities
Operational separation
- Physically separate operation phases (breeder, hatchery, brooder, grow-out, flight pen) as much as possible
- Never wear the same boots, shoes, or clothes between pens or phases
- Always work from younger birds to older, never the reverse, when feeding and watering
- Dispose of dead birds immediately, per state livestock and poultry regulations
- Use wire or concrete floors only
- Clean and disinfect all pens, equipment, and houses between flocks
Additional measures
- Southeastern producers should seriously consider vaccinating against quail pox — factor the cost into your projections
- If you suspect a disease outbreak, submit several birds to your state's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory immediately
Running a hunting preserve
A preserve is a distinct skill set from production.
Regulatory requirements
- Verify state regulations on possession and release of upland gamebirds
- Confirm land-area requirements and operational licensing
Key management areas
- Habitat quality and property maintenance; clean, debris-free hunting areas
- Kennel operations, guides and guide dogs, and dog welfare standards
- Vehicle selection and cleanliness
- Predator control
- Gun safety — paramount
- Bird holding areas and species selection — clients often prefer one gamebird over another
A successful preserve relies on teamwork across every role and rigorous standards throughout.
Final word
Check state regulations before any startup activity, join the relevant organizations, attend short courses and meetings, and consult experienced operators. Success takes time, effort, determination, hard work, experience — and some good luck.