7h 
 
 
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UTAH'S 72c PHEASANTS 
 
          Figures Do Not Seem To Show That Birds Are Raised For Any Such

                  Price. No Property or Administrative Overhead Included

 
 
N    the May number of Modern Game Breeding we 
    announced that the State of Utah, Department of 
    Fish and Game, was raising their pheasants to tw elve 
weeks old at a cost of seventy-two cents each and said 
that we would tell you more about it in this number. 
   When we first heard of this low cost of raising pheas- 
ants we were considerably taken back by the report. It 
was the first time in the history of our experience that 
we had ever known pheasants to be raised at any such 
price of seventy-odd cents each. In fact we had never 
heard of any breeder or state farm that had been able to 
raise them for twice this much or even more. 
   Therefore we predicted some news of an unusual 
nature for our readers, as most of them would be tre- 
mendously interested in learning how such an unheard 
of cost was obtained. 
   Mr. V. D. Davignon, President of the United Game 
Breeders and Gamekeepers of America, an organization 
that is extremely interested in bringing about better 
relations between the state game commissions and the 
breeders, also took the matter of securing this informa- 
tion much to heart, for he wrote to Mr. Newell B. Cook, 
Game and Fish Commissioner of Utah, as follows: 
Dear Mr. Cook: 
   The information contained in your letter of March 5, on 
pheasant rearing costs in your State is certainly enlighten- 
ing to me. 
   The lowest costs of which I have ever heard are $1.50 
per twelve weeks ringnecks produced on the west coast. 
   In view of the cost of 70c in your State, the specialists 
about whom I have said a great deal, and the State Game 
Farm Superintendents over the entire balance of the coun- 
try, just naturally fade right out of the picture. 
   It is difficult for me to understand how such efficiency is 
possible when the feed alone, for a twelve weeks old bird 
amounts to 30c without a particle of waste. Breeders of 
birds are agreed that a bird will waste as much food as he 
consumes, which fact would jump feed costs to 60c each. 
The difference of 10c must cover salaries, usual overhead, 
equipment, heating, lighting, upkeep, and feed for twelve 
months for breeding birds providing the eggs. 
   I assume that you have interested yourself in the 
accuracy of the figures submitted to you for publication, 
and that they can be considered as authentic. It is possible 
that various sportsmen's and 4H boys and girls are raising 
these birds for you at these economical prices. If that is 
the case, I would point out the fallacies of such an arrange- 
ment. 
   Placing much dependence on the average sportsman or 
4H boy for the continuous production of game birds is not 
conducive to satisfactory long-term management. 
   At any rate, I am much interested to hear about how 
you accomplish these startling results and will await your 
further advices with considerable interest. 
                    Sincerely yours, 
                        V. D. Davignon, President, 
   United Game Breeders and Gamekeepers of America. 
 
 
   Mr. Cook answered Mr. Davignon on March 16, as 
follows : 
Dear Mr. Davignon: 
   In answer to yours of March 10, in which you place con- 
siderable doubt upon the Utah Fish and Game Department's 
figures relative to the raising of pheasants. 
   I beg to inform you that neither 4H Clubs, sportsmen's 
organizations nor any one else is raising pheasants for the 
State of Utah. We operate and maintain our own game 
farm. 
  At the present time we have approximately 1,200 hens 
mating off five to one with cocks in separate pens. About 
one-half of the eggs produced will be set under domestic 
hens and the other half will be incubated and hatched under 
artificial heat in brooder houses. We have liberated about 
18,000 pheasants in the last two years and the cost over the 
two-year period is well under eighty cents per bird-we 
have not been deceiving ourselves in the least. Our game 
farm has been so successful that we are establishing another 
pheasant farm in another section of the State this spring. 
   Any other information you desire with regards to pheas- 
ants will be gladly given to you by Mr. Wm. Witney, Super- 
intendent of the Game Farm, at Springville, Utah. 
                Very respectfully yours, 
                                     N. B. Cook, 
                  State Fish and Game Commissioner. 
   So this far we could take it or leave it. The second 
paragraph of Mr. Cook's letter placed it squarely with 
the Commission. Eighteen thousand birds at eighty cents 
per bird, which was their two-year production, according 
to his letter, ordinarily would pay only the Superin- 
tendent and the feed bill, compared with the usual ex- 
penses at practically all efficient farms in raising this 
number of birds. 
   That the balance of the customary costs were either 
forgotten or donated was the only logical assumption or 
perhaps someone had suffered a loss of memory in 
charging up the costs, which might naturally result in 
fooling the sportsmen and the public. 
   However, Mfr. Cook referred us to Mr. Witney, 
Superintendent of the State Game Farm, for any other 
information and we herewith have Mr. Witney's answer 
and report: 
Dear Sir: 
   I received your letter of March 23, pertaining to the 
cost of raising our pheasants. I will try to explain how we 
run our Game Farm and how we arrive at the cost per bird. 
   Our Game Farm is run in connection with our Fish 
Hatchery. One superintendent has charge of both stations. 
One man puts in all of his time with the pheasants and is 
given help during April, May, June, July and August. One- 
third of Superintendent's wages is charged to pheasants. 
   During 1931, we kept on the Game Farm 500 Ringnecked 
pheasants, 40 pheasants of other varieties, 40 wild ducks, 
30 wild geese, 5 deer, and 500 red hens used for hatching 
pheasants. 
   During 1931, we spent $1,865.97 on permanent improve- 
ments. This consists of one large brooder coop and a chicken 
 
 
TA 
 
 
It Costs Money For Pens and Equipment. This Is a Row of Breeding Pens At
Minnesota State Farm 
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