Whats it like raising Chukar Partridges???

[Chiko]

My grandpas friend offered him some Chukar Partridges but we dont know how or what they are like can they live with chickens? what do they eat? how do you sex them? and every other things you have to tell us about them thanks!

 

[Tony K T]

Chukars need lots of room,if they are crowded they will kill each other.No gamebirds can be raised with chickens.Gamebirds are suseptible to diseases and should be raised with gamebirds.They need a gamebird feed and cracked corn in the winter for all your birds.You can also give them treats like fruit,veggies,mealworms,peanuts,and wild bird seed. The males have a spur,hens do not.Give them a big pen with plenty of cover,shrubs, trees etc.Your grandpas friend should give you some tips on raising them.I found that raising them on washed sand worked better then just throwing them in a pen.Go to www.gbwf.org and click on partridge,you will find lots of good info there.
In N.H.,Tony.
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[J3172]

I would also raise them on wire off the ground.

 

[flyweed]

OOOhh man.....you're just asking for trouble..I had 20 CHukar in a run last season..and the run was plenty big, and plenty of room, food and water for everyone..but there were 3 or 4 dominant chukars..that absolutely pecked the livin heck out of the smaller chukars...I man...they pecked the area where their beaks met the skull and pulled all the muscle and meat right off of them. They are mean, ornery birds to say the least.

We finally had a nice summer Sunday afternoon and every last CHukar went into the freezer that day.

Dan

 

[tennesseered]

Chikoman,
I've raised chukars since 1967 and I really like the birds. They do act differently than pheasants and most quail. First, I see you live in Utah. I lived there myself many years ago (around SLC). The soil there is arid and sandy. This is great for chukars. If your soil is the same you can keep them on the ground there without worrying about picking up ground born disease and parasites. Chukars cannot survive very long on topsoil in wet humid climates (like were I live here in Tennessee) Remember where they come from North Africa, Iran and Iraqi etc... I keep mine on the ground here by building up chert pads above the topsoil and keeping them in "houses" with a metal roof and floors made of rock and sand so they are dry all the time. I don't use very large pens they are 4' by 10' and about 9' high. The reason for the 9' height is that in nature chukars like a high perch to keep watch. I have 2x4 toprails to their pens and they love to walk around surveying their surroundings. I've found over the years that they do better if they are on the ground where they have rocks and sand to dig in and a nice dirtbox for dust baths. I've about eliminated aggression this way. Notice I've said "about." as someone else said they had one that became aggressive and pecked a lot. I can almost guarantee this will happen to you. When I see this happening, I put a flexible peeper on the bird at once and leave it for at least a month. This changes the pecking order in the flock and usually stops it. As far as sexing the best way is to really watch the birds and learn their behavior. Males do act differently than females. Someone else mentioned about spurs. Well sometimes it works, but I have a bird with nice big spurs and she lays nice big eggs as well. Sorry, there is no absolute way to sex chukars by physical appearance. Everyone has their own method of sexing, but, until I see the birds mating or laying eggs I make no promises to anyone. My wife even says she can sex them by their beak length. Do keep them away from chickens, turkeys, pea fowl etc as they will pick up disease much quicker than pheasants or quail. Feed them a good quaility, high protein poultry feed and they will do well and live for many years. Some of the pluses to raising chukars are: interesting behavior and nice calls, easy to raise and eat very little food, can handle temp ranges from 120 degrees above to -40 as long as they have shelter from the wind, very prolific and will go broody and hatch their own chicks if given the right conditions and last they taste great! I hope you give it a try.

 

[missred871]

Thanks tennessee red! I am going to be getting some eggs next month and was curious about them as well! Thanks a lot for all the informative info!

 

[DomC]

I got a few last year and they are easy to raise. am not sure what to do for nesting boxes.

 

[tennesseered]

Hello DomC,
`It all depends on how you are raising them. If you want the hen to go broody and sit on her own eggs, then you will probably have to keep them in pairs in cages on the ground, but above the waterline and also isolated from the top soil if you live in wet, or humid climates. I keep mine in small colonies, usually around 8 birds and the hens won't use any kind of box. They just drop their eggs anywhere. Chukars in the wild nest in piles of rocks, abandoned burrows and in outcroppings. The best system I've seen is what a friend of mine does with his mated pairs. He takes cement blocks and stacks them so that their is a little entrance going into a chamber in the middle of the stack. His hen has hatched out clutches for several years in this way.

 

[jensen]

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Keeping them on dry sandy ground is good and many keep their chukars on wire to cut down on disease and parasite problems. You want to keep them separate from your chickens as they are susceptible to some of the disease organisms carried by chickens.

 

[DomC]

Thanks Tennesseered.. I live out in the desert of Las Vegas, NV and have 1 male to 2 females in 6x6x5H enclosure. I have them on bare ground because it's so dry. I seen some wild nest around in rocks, so I know what you mean. Thanks for the info.