- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS -
What species of pheasant is used for the table?
Contrary to popular belief, it is not the "English" pheasant that we eat. Nor is the pheasant eaten in England "English". It is a Chinese Ringneck / Mongolian cross. All species of pheasant are Asian origin. A bit of trivia… they were discovered by Jason (of Argonauts fame) while on his quest for the Golden Fleece. He brought them back to Greece; the Romans tasted them and must have been impressed, as took them with them on their conquests, as part of their living larder. …. obviously a few escaped in England!
What do you feed your pheasants?
Farmed pheasants require a very carefully balanced, high protein diet. This is extremely difficult to maintain by feeding them solely on grains and natural vegetation. This has been tried on the farm and proved unsuccessful, as protein levels in grain fluctuate so much.
Our pheasants are now fed a locally milled pellet, made from locally grown cereals. A nutritionist, to ensure a correct balance of all necessary nutrients, formulates this diet.
The green feed that grows abundantly in the range pens also attracts insect life, a natural part of the high protein diet of pheasant in the wild.
The green feed and insect life also provide an "entertainment" factor for the birds, this is most important in raising pheasants, as cannibalism, resulting out of boredom, can be a problem.
Are pheasants fed growth promoters or antibiotics?
I can only speak for our own birds - definitely not. We avoid the use of any form of chemical on our farm and have adopted organic farming practices.
Antibiotics are not needed in our feed because risk of disease is extremely minimal, due to our location. The isolation of our farm (we have a 150 km buffer zone from any other poultry enterprise), and the hot, dry conditions of the Mallee are most inhospitable to any form of parasite or bacteria.
Also, game bird farming, being seasonal, allows the range pens to be empty for six months of the year.
Another guarantee that our birds are chemical free is that, as they are processed at an export accredited processing works, we must sign a declaration every time, stating that our birds contain no chemical in any form. Dire consequences for false declarations!
Do pheasants need to be hung?
The purpose of hanging a bird is to tenderize it. Young farmed pheasant don't need tenderizing. A wild bird of indiscriminate age most likely would benefit from hanging.
Should I be looking for a bird that is New York dressed?
New York dressed is the term used for a bird with the gut intact.
As it is illegal, Australia wide, to sell a bird with the gut in, you would probably have difficulty finding one.
Try our birds and my method of cooking "Crispy Skinned Pheasant Breast," or my version of Delia Smith's recipe for "Slow Braised Pheasant in Madeira" and I'm sure you won't bother looking for, or wanting to deal with " New York dressed".
Does an empty crop mean that the bird has been cruelly purged (starved) before process?
Not at all. Our birds are deliberately removed from the feed source in the evening, and then processed first thing in the morning. This way, the birds don't go hungry and you don't have to cope with the mess of a crop full of feed. Unfortunately sometimes you may find that the crop still has feed in it, so it's a good idea, before removing the head, to cut a shallow slit in the skin just above the hollow at the base of the neck, put your finger in, hook it around the gullet and carefully ease the crop out.
When I purchase a game bird, why does it still have its head on?
This is required for identification purposes.
What should I look for when purchasing a pheasant?
A good layer of fat under the skin, you'll get better results. This fat layer also eliminates the need for barding.
If pheasant have such a good fat cover, does this mean they aren't suitable for people on low fat diets?
On the contrary - according to "The Joy of Cooking"- (Simon & Schuster - 1998) :-
"Pheasant and Guinea Fowl have 40% less calories than chicken and 60% less fat kilo for kilo."
This statement is referring to the meat. The best eating pheasants should have a good layer of fat under the skin. This is essential for protecting and basting the delicate flesh during cooking; it also adds to the flavour. Fat can always be removed or skimmed off after cooking.
Which makes best eating - a hen or a cock bird?
After supplying chefs from all over Australia for several years I can say that most never state a preference. Their choice is generally governed by size and how they are planning to serve the bird, rather than by gender.
As our birds are farmed and processed at between 16 - 20 weeks of age, I'm sure gender makes little or no difference to their eating quality...I can't pick the difference !
Fresh or Frozen?
Although game birds are only available fresh in Australia between March and August, the freezer is very kind to them. Pheasant in particular, if packaged in barrier bags and stored correctly (-15 °C), will keep for 2 to 3 years without developing any "been-in-the-freezer-too-long" taste. Some chefs actually prefer to use a bird that has been frozen, claiming freezing tenderizes the meat.
I'd be surprised if anyone could tell the difference.
Does moisture in the bag when you purchase a bird mean it has been frozen and thawed?
Fresh or frozen, you may find moisture in the bag. This is perfectly normal and is not a sign that the bird has been frozen and thawed.
During processing, after the birds are washed, they are hung to drain for 2 hours, but a certain amount of moisture will always remain. Sorry, we don't like the look of it either but fortunately it doesn't affect the bird at all.
What do you put in your sausages?
I love to answer this question because people who ask it really mean, "What other meat or product do you add as "filler"? I proudly answer, "Nothing, it's all top grade pheasant."
We're lucky to have a constant supply of two year old birds that are at the end of their optimum laying period, but at their peak for sausages because of the amount of fat on them. This means that we don't have to add any pork fat as would usually be the case with a game meat sausage.
Fresh apple is added….pheasant and apple being traditionally great partners, fresh organically grown herbs (this can vary, depending on what's in season) fresh garlic and freshly ground spices & sea salt. A small amount of rice flour (gluten free) & water are also added to bind the ingredients…and that's it! No preservative, no pre-mixes.
Unfortunately our sausages generally aren't available through retail outlets as they sold frozen, due to the absence of preservative.
Why are pheasants so expensive?
There are very few commercial pheasant farms in Australia and there is a very good reason for this. Pheasant are a wild bird that can never be domesticated, therefore are very difficult to raise and manage successfully.
As Kevin (my husband), always says, "Pheasant are born with a death wish… if there's a way to kill itself a pheasant will find it."
Although this fact contributes to their high price, it is certainly not the main reason. Other factors are:-
-Their very low feed conversion rate. It takes 5 kgs of feed to produce 1 kg meat. Compared to a chicken, which converts 2 kgs of feed to 1 kg meat.
-Their specially formulated, high protein feed is very expensive
-Their growth rate is slow. They are processed at 16 -20 weeks.
A chicken is processed at 6 -10 weeks.
As a chef, should I purchase birds direct or should I go through a supplier?
Usually the question that's asked is, "Is it cheaper to buy direct?"
I'd like to be able to say 'Yes', but unfortunately if I did, we would soon lose all our suppliers… they wouldn't take too kindly to being under-cut. So we try to keep our prices roughly the same.
The main advantage of buying direct is the user/grower relationship. We love to know where our birds go to and really enjoy the contact with chefs. This gives us direct feed back, enables us to answer any questions and provide customers with precise information regarding availability etc.
Although we no longer process our own birds, (this is done at Australian Game Processors, Wycheproof, Vic) we personally oversee and assist in all processing, do our own quality control and pack all orders. This "hands-on" involvement also helps us to ensure chefs get exactly what they want.
There are definitely some circumstances where it is more convenient to deal through a supplier, but if you contact us, we'll work out what's best for you.
