Choosing to raise gamefowl can be an enormous undertaking, but with the proper research and information you will be able to handle it like a professional. Knowing your breeds is perhaps the first and most important step to beginning the process. Have you decided whether the gamefowl will be raised for food or game only? These are important questions and information you will need to be aware of before commencing onto the next steps involved to breeding or raising gamefowl.
If you have decided for certain you are going to raise them, the next step is educating yourself on the different breeds and types of wild fowl available for domestic raising. The main types that are available in the United States are literally thousands of types of quail, pheasant, partridge, ducks, and chickens. Far too many to name individually, but there are excellent sites online that give you specific information for any certain breed/type you are searching for. These fowl are available through many means, whether trained or un-trained and most of them at any age. If you are considering placing your gamefowl in competitions you may want to acquire younger fowl to allow for ample time for training and a healthy growth rate.
When it comes to feeding your fowl with the proper nutrients necessary to best promote their health and well being, selecting the best grains, corn, wheat and feed is important. Once again, knowing the exact information of your fowl (breed/type/main activity) is also necessary to this selection of food and is one of the determining factors in the fowls general health and success. Specific diets are available for research for different uses, such as cockfighting. It requires a different diet to maintain the strength and stamina of the cocks being raised for it as such, where as quail, pheasant, or ducks being raised for food will need a specialized diet to best prepare their carcass for consumption. All forms of diets to best suit your purposes are available in books at your local library, or online using a specific title in a search engine.
Clean water is quite nearly the very essence of all fowl, whether gamefowl or not. This is a necessity for all fowl, that they have sufficient clean, fresh water daily. Just as with the nutrition, the hydration of your fowl is also dependent on the training or use you have planned for them. Strict training requires less water at one time, but offered several more times during the day. If you are merely raising your fowl for consumption, the hydration practices will be different from fowl training for cockfighting or otherwise. This also is available for research online or in the library.
All in all, it is important to be completely versed in the facts and information surrounding the raising of gamefowl for whatever purpose you choose to do so. Embarking on this journey can be fascinating, educational, and entertaining. Being prepared with the best information you are able to find is the right way to get started and an excellent step in the right direction to success in your chosen activity.