About Mt. Bullion GamebirdsLocated in the foothills of beautiful Mariposa County California, in the Sierra Nevada's, Mount Bullion Gamebirds farm is only one hour from Yosemite National Park. We are Kevin and Teresa Bullis and we work hard to raise quality flight ready birds for your hunting and dog training needs. Being a hunting family and owners of German Shorthair Pointers (GSP's), we are aware of the need for quality training.
All of our birds are hatched right on the Mt. Bullion farm. We have two GQF Cabinet Incubators and 10 Battery brooders to help assure good quality chicks. All Species of birds are moved to either flight pens or breeding pens at about 6 weeks of age. Quality feed, vitamins and supplements are administered regularly to assure healthy stock.
At this time only farm pick up is available but we anticipate that shipping will be available in the near future. Delivery is currently possible within the local area.
We would love to hear from you! Please call for further information as we enjoy talking about our birds. We are very proud of our birds and are hoping they give as much enjoyment to you and your dogs as they do to us.
Please take our gallery tour and see our flight pens and the birds available. As you can see, we take good care of the birds we raise and they are kept in a nice environment. Please see below for a bit more information on how we raise our birds.
Thank-you !
Kevin and Teresa Bullis
Mt. Bullion Gamebirds
Bobwhite Quail
(Colinus virginianus)Temp 99.5 degrees Humidity 86 degrees wet bulb, all eggs turned every 2 hours, 3 days before hatch stop turn, reduce temp to 98.5 and increase hum to 87 degrees wet bulb. CA Valley Quail
(Callipepla Californica)Same as above Mountain Quail
(Oreortyx pictus)Same as above, Wet bulb 83 degrees. 3 days before hatch web bulb to 86 degrees Chukar Partridge
(Alectoris chukar)Temp 99.5 degrees, Humidity 84% wet bulb. 3 days before hatch reduce temp to 98.5 F and increase humidity to 87 degrees. We use GQF 1502 Circulated Air Incubators. We have had a lot of luck with these, as they have automatic humidity and circulated air. The humidity and temperature can be adjusted easily. These incubators have automatic turners, so the door does not have to be opened.
After approximately 10-14 days of incubation, we candle the eggs to check for viable embryos. The clear eggs are removed from the incubator.
After the hatch is complete, leave chicks in incubator until completely dry. They can be left inside for up to 24 hours. Opening the door to the incubator before the hatch is complete will cause the humidity and temperature to drop, thus causing problems with the hatch. Try to limit the door being opened no more than every 12 hours.
Once the chicks are dry they may be moved to the brooders. At this time you will need to lightly trim their beaks and cull the weak or crippled. We have had to learn have a strong heart when it comes to culling chicks or adult birds, but in the long run you will have a healthy stock.
These are our basic rules for raising chicks to adult birds
Brooding:
The chicks must be kept in an enclosed, draft free brooder immediately after hatch. Kept at 95 degrees F for the first 5 days. Then temps are lowered by 5 degrees per week until chicks reach 6 weeks of age. Make sure to turn on all heaters or brooder lights the day before the hatch to ensure proper temperature. Most Gamebirds will start to fly at about two weeks of age so make sure your brooding area is escape proof. Make sure the chicks have an area away from the heat, so they can move as they get warm. Overheating will kill your chicks. Also make sure you do not brood too many chicks in one brooder as they will tend to pile together and the ones at the bottom on the pile will smother.Water:
For the first 2 days only give chicks warm water as cold water could cause them to chill. Make sure to use drown proof waters as chicks will easily drown. I use marbles or small rocks for the first 3-4 days or drown proof waters which can be purchased at your local feed or pet store. We also add vitamins to the water for the first 3-5 days. After approximately 4 weeks you can use automatic waterers.Feed:
We use Purena Startena or Turkey Starter for the first 6 weeks of age, Gamebird chicks need 28% to 30% protein. We grind the starter for the first 2 weeks for the smaller birds (Quail and chukar). We use a blender for this to reduce the size of the crumbles. After 6 weeks of age birds are feed Flight Conditioner until ready for Laying Rations. We also supplement with a Wild Game mix once a week. We also give the birds 5 days of tetracycline in their water prior to going out to the flight pens.Spraddle Legs:
This is a condition that chicks suffer if left on a slippery surface after hatching. The chick's hips slip out of place and they are unable to walk properly and will die or will need to be culled. Be sure to use a non slippery surface for the first 3-4 days in your brooders. Some people use paper towels, we use rubber shelf liners. They are inexpensive and reusable by simply rinsing or tossing in the washing machine after use.If your chicks have made it to 6 weeks of age, and have become fully feathered, pat yourselves on the back, they are ready to go into your outside flight or wire pens. I would check the weather and make sure you bring them out on a warm sunny day for their first day in the real world. We also keep the lights on in the covered part of the pens for a couple of nights until the birds learn to come into the shelter at night.
Keep in mind the above is how we have had success raising our flocks. Other breeders have done things differently and had great results. You will learn what works for you. Please use this as a reference and enjoy your new hobby. It is very rewarding and will bring you much joy.
Good Luck!
Kevin and Teresa
Mt. Bullion GamebirdsFor information about our webmaster please click here to learn more about Memorable Places Consulting.
All Rights Reserved. This Page Last Updated on on May 18, 2007