Game bird hunting has been a part of the culture of mankind ever since he learnt to hunt animals for food. Hunting birds has been a sport with the rich and famous for a long time. The tradition has been a part of the culture of many countries across the globe. In South Africa, about 62 species of game-birds have been identified. These include the guinea fowl, partridge, duck and geese among others. Several of the species of game-birds are now extinct because of excessive hunting. Birds and animals came under the ambit of strict laws as hunting of these birds and animals led to their virtual extermination in the 19th century. The mourning dove is a game bird that has survived the tests of time, and it might survive up to 16 years when kept in captivity, although they live for only about 4 or 5 years in the wild.
Hunting dogs have been doing great service for a long time with their skills at smelling and tracing fowls. They have been a part of the tradition. But these birds have been put up for sale on the internet as well as in farms in towns and cities. These birds also figure on the menu of some restaurants offering special meat. These are delicacies for gourmets flocking to restaurants for special cuisine. If you are interested in the business of breeding game birds and putting them for sale, you should ensure you have a license for it. The license fee ranges from $25 to $180. People usually specialise in selling a particular breed or species of these birds, so you should have a comprehensive knowledge of the particular breed you want to put up for sale or you want to buy. You would have to meet some set standards if you plan to sell these birds and its meat to hotels and restaurants. It is always a good practice to keep an accurate record of the sales completed and the expenses incurred in breeding.
Many people breed such birds for sale in their homes or fabricated structures. These include species of doves and pigeons. These birds sell at huge profits to the owners. These birds are often shot by hunters. The biggest danger inherent in breeding these birds is to domesticate them. This would make them loose their natural instincts that make them good hunters in the wild. Domestication does pose some dangers because it is essential for these birds to retain their wild instincts that make them game birds.
Rearing a bird does pose some challenges as one needs a comprehensive knowledge of egg incubators, hatching of eggs, and brooding. Several magazines are available in the market and on the internet with a complete knowledge of all these and several other challenges before someone new to the sport. These magazines even offer game birds for sale. Those enthusiastic about such sports should be on the lookout for these issues.