Agricultural Sciences

Conference Addresses Game Bird Production And Hunting Preserves

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- To support Pennsylvania's game bird industry, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will hold a three-day conference, "Game Bird Production and Management of Hunting Preserves," Feb. 21-23 at The Nittany Lion Inn, University Park.

"This conference will interest people who manage shooting preserves, or people who produce game birds for the restaurant trade, shooting preserves or hatch for others to raise," says Michael Hulet, associate professor of poultry science.

Conference registration begins at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 21, followed by a 7:30 reception. Training and information sessions begin at 8:25 a.m., Monday, Feb. 22.

Monday's sessions will interest all groups, Hulet says. Sessions include breeder and hatchery management; the management of Hungarian partridges; changing feed costs in the global economy; and the economics of production.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will report the final results of their Sichuan Pheasant Project, a multiyear project on the survival rate in Pennsylvania of the Sichuan pheasant -- a potential replacement for the ring-necked pheasant. "Because pheasant populations have declined significantly since the early 1980s due to increased pesticide use and decreasing farmland, the commission hopes to find a bird that's better adapted to the current landscape," says Hulet. "The results of this project should be very important to the hunting population, as well as pheasant producers."

Monday afternoon sessions will cover health issues. Speakers will teach producers how to diagnose and treat common game bird diseases; identify when flocks have genetic or disease problems and what actions to take; and locate wells, test water, and evaluate water quality results. "A presentation on innovative game bird housing should be particularly valuable for people just getting into the business," says Hulet.

Tuesday's sessions will be geared toward people who manage shooting preserves, Hulet says. Sessions cover hunter safety on shooting preserves; the "European driven shoot," a traditional shoot used in England; and animal rights conflicts encountered by hunters and people who raise confined animals, including upcoming animal rights-related legislation and other activities people need to be aware of.

Sessions on selecting pups and training hunting dogs include "flushing dogs," such as black Labrador retrievers, and English setters and German shorthairs. A veterinarian will discuss dog health.

The conference will end at 3:00 p.m., following a tour of the USDA warm season grass plots, with information on grasses that promote cover and nutrition in both growing areas and habitats. In case of inclement weather, an alternative "necroscopy lab" will show a technique for performing an autopsy on game birds.

To request registration materials and a detailed schedule, call 814-865-8301. For more information on conference content, call Michael Hulet at 814-863-8934. Registration will be accepted by mail or fax through Feb. 5. Walk-in registration will be accepted as space permits.

The registration fee is $60. A second person from the same firm or a spouse can attend for $35. Guest tickets for Monday evening's banquet are $25. A block of rooms have been reserved at The Nittany Lion Inn at a special rate of $68 plus tax per night for a single or double room. Reserve a special-rate room by calling (800) 233-7505 before Jan. 21 and indicate you are attending the Game Bird Conference.

###

EDITORS: For more information, contact Michael Hulet at 814-863-8934.

Contacts: Kim Dionis KDionis@psu.edu 814-863-2703 814-865-1068 fax

Last Updated March 19, 2009