CAYUGA CO., N.Y. — Each year the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) makes approximately 30,000 day old pheasant chicks available for individuals to raise and release on public lands. The program known as the Cooperative Day-old Pheasant Chick Program (DOCP) was designed to assist in revitalizing the ring-necked pheasant population in the area.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County is a facilitator of the DOCP program and helps to order and distribute the day old chicks to participating individuals.
- Anyone can apply to participate in the Day-old Pheasant Chick Program, this includes 4-H members, schools, clubs and members of the community.
- Participants must have appropriate brooding facility and outdoor rearing pen.
- Release sites must be open to the public for pheasant hunting.
- Participants should be familiar with the DEC pheasant rearing guide http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/dayoldchicks.pdf
- Chicks MUST be picked up between 8-12pm on the day of delivery which is scheduled for mid-May.
- Pheasants must be released at 8 weeks of age or older, but no later than the end of pheasant hunting season.
- Pheasant chicks are not to be purchased, sold or traded.
For further information regarding the DOCP program OR to order pheasant chicks for rearing and release on public lands, call Erin Humphrey (ext. 232) Cornell Cooperative Extension at 315-255-1183. You can also order online by going to: http://blogs.cornell.edu/ccecayuga and clicking on the button marked “Registrations”.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Cayuga County
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