Avalon Farms is growing more gamebirds

By BILL HOLLERAN, Kentucky Agricultural News

Joe McCord grew up raising cattle and tobacco in Clark County. Now his farming operation consists primarily of vegetables, aquaculture, and most recently the addition of gamebirds.

Joe and Sheila McCord started diversifying their farm back in the ’80s by selling produce. “In 1987 we co-founded the Winchester/Clark County Farmers’ Market. Twelve years ago we converted a horse barn to add a more permanent roadside produce stand on our farm,” Sheila said. The McCords have extensive experience growing and selling vegetable crops through wholesale and retail marketing channels. “Sheila really gets the credit for knowing how to set up for the farmers’ markets,” Joe McCord said. “She really puts the time into it and makes a nice presentation of our products.”

The McCords have sold wholesale and retail over the years, but now their efforts focus on direct marketing through outlets such as the Lexington and Clark County farmers’ markets as well as their on-farm market on U.S. 60 near the Clark/Fayette county line.

Aquaculture products such as freshwater shrimp and tilapia are also produced on the farm for retail sales. Freshwater shrimp are normally harvested and sold during September and October. The McCords’ tilapia fish are started in indoor tanks that are heated through the fall and winter months. Fish are gradually moved from one tank to another as they increase in size. They are finished in indoor tanks or outdoor field production ponds during the summer, since this fish species is sensitive to cold water.

The McCords’ latest expansion involves quail production on the farm. Ten years ago McCord converted some tobacco greenhouses to quail fly pens. The houses are covered on one end where birds can seek shelter from extreme weather. The fly pens are large enough (30 by 150 feet) to flight condition the birds and give them a more natural environment in which to live. Birds are purchased as day-old chicks from a Kentucky hatchery and then they are grown to a mature size and sold to consumers as well as hunters and sportsmen needing birds to train their dogs or for hunting preserves that need flight-conditioned birds.

This year McCord expects to sell around 15,000 bobwhite quail. Next year he plans to increase production to 5,000 birds in each of his seven fly pens. “This is a natural progression for us because we have experienced increasing demand because of the quality of our birds. We will probably cut back a bit on the freshwater shrimp and increase quail production,” said McCord.  

McCord also raises some coturnix quail, and he plans to add some chukar partridge to the mix next year. “We plan to do some TV advertising of our quail operation after deer season closes this fall. All of our advertising up to now has been word-of-mouth,” McCord said.

After the quail are started in indoor brooder pens they are allowed to range outside at three weeks of age. Quail are marketed at 20 weeks old and may be purchased for $5 each for under 100 birds or $4 for over 100 birds.

McCord is planning to use the certified kitchen he built for fish processing to process his game birds next year. Processed birds will fetch $6 each. McCord is also interested in the possibility of selling pickled quail eggs to Louisville and Lexington restaurants.

It’s important to follow state laws regarding game bird production in Kentucky. McCord talked with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials to obtain the appropriate licenses to grow and sell game birds as well as obtaining a hunting preserve license that enables him to sell game birds that may be released on his property for sportsmen.

Keeping survivability high and pest pressures to a minimum are priorities for McCord. His flight pens have fiberglass sheeting around the exterior from the ground up to three or four feet high to keep varmints out of the fly pens. Game bird netting covers the greenhouse supports to keep birds of prey out.

For more information about Avalon farms or purchasing any of their food products contact Joe or Sheila McCord at (859) 744-4860.