More game: Russia has started to grow "muscular" pheasants
Russian scientists are creating an improved technology for the mass cultivation of pheasants. Experts are testing feeds and dietary supplements, studying their effect on birds and eggs at cellular damage, in order to eventually get more valuable meat. The first generation of pheasant chicks with increased survival is already growing in the laboratories. In the future, breeders expect to increase the volume of meat tissue of birds. According to experts, pheasant meat is often used in high-level gastronomy and surpasses chicken and turkey in its qualities, however, its consumption in our country may be limited by high cost.
Pheasants with increased survival
Researchers at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Fisheries of the Moscow State University of Technology and Management named after K.G. Razumovsky are developing a method for mass breeding of pheasants. The first generation of chicks with increased survival has already been produced industrially in the laboratories of the faculty.
— Our project is aimed at developing a simplified technology for growing and incubating pheasants, designed for farms. Additionally, the faculty's laboratories are developing effective feed formulations with the inclusion of various functional components such as probiotics, amino acids and trace elements. It is well known that birds need to be given preventive antibiotics to protect them from infections, and we are already testing a new domestic drug that we are going to vaccinate our offspring with. The pheasants have hatched safely and are feeling well, which will allow for further research and preventive vaccination," Nikita Kochetkov, a junior researcher at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Fisheries, Candidate of Biological Sciences, told Izvestia.
Pheasants in cages in the laboratory of MGUTU named after K.G. Razumovsky
Pheasant meat has unique dietary properties, as it contains a large number of essential amino acids. For example, it can be used in hospitals to feed patients with gastrointestinal diseases. Meat is usually obtained from young poultry. Naturally, silver and golden pheasants are common in China. They are in demand in oriental cuisine. And their potential buyers in Russia may well be Chinese restaurants.
Scientists are investigating the effect of feed and pharmacological substances on the biochemistry of bird blood, conducting tissue histology, monitoring embryonic development, analyzing the microbiota of pheasants, DNA and RNA markers of their immune response. In the future, it is planned to conduct genetic studies of the resulting offspring. Currently, the experimental livestock numbers 150 pheasants.
Senior laboratory assistant demonstrates a new technology for mass breeding of pheasants at MGUTU named after K.G. Razumovsky
— We study pheasants in order to increase their stress resistance, egg production and immune response, improve the quality characteristics and volume of meat tissue using feed additives. These can be probiotics, that is, bacteria, for example, Lactobacillus. Experimental feeding with one supplement takes about 45-90 days," said Tatiana Khoreva, senior laboratory assistant at the faculty.
The pheasant is a southern bird, so in the middle zone of Russia it can experience so—called heat stress. It is possible when organisms enter non-specific climatic conditions different from those in which their parents grew up. A bird born in a warm area can live and develop normally in colder areas, but rarely gives offspring. Therefore, scientists are looking for ways to solve this problem.
A male pheasant in the laboratory of MGUTU named after K.G. Razumovsky
— We are looking for the possibility of growing pheasants on farms, with the aim of developing biotechnologies for agrotourism and restoring biodiversity. But problems arise, as these birds require increased thermal conditions. Using hybridization and acclimatization methods, we are realizing the possibility of growing them in rural areas of the Central Federal District, that is, we are striving to move the zone of their comfortable breeding to more northern regions," said Alexey Nikiforov-Nikishin, Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Fisheries, Doctor of Biological Sciences.
Using sequential closely related crossbreeding, the specialists obtained pheasants that successfully survived the Moscow winter with frosts of up to -28 degrees outside. In the future, scientists plan to create a genetic tree of this bird species and, based on it, breed a new subspecies specifically for cultivation in central Russia.
High-level gastronomy
Pheasant meat is valued for its taste and nutritional value, so it is bred on an industrial scale. It has a low fat content, which is good for people who follow their diet or have gastrointestinal and liver diseases, Regina Gurina, associate professor at the Department of Technosphere Safety at the RUDN University, explained to Izvestia.
— Pheasant meat is tender and fragrant, it is often used in high-level gastronomy, especially in European cuisine. It is recommended for people suffering from anemia, as it contains easily digestible iron. It can be included in the diet for obesity, diabetes, hypertension due to its lightness and low calorie content. It is well suited for baby food," she noted.
A pheasant chick in the laboratory of the Moscow State Pedagogical University named after K. G. Razumovsky.
Pheasants adapt well to being kept in enclosures and, with proper care, produce stable offspring. The demand for dietary and delicatessen meat is constantly growing both in restaurants and among private consumers. Breeding pheasants under controlled conditions makes it possible to obtain environmentally friendly meat of high quality, the specialist added.
Predicting the popularity of domestically produced pheasant meat among Russians is difficult now, as this market has not yet been studied in depth, said Elena Stepanova, Deputy General Director of the Russian Poultry Union.
Female pheasant in the laboratory of MGUTU named after K.G. Razumovsky
— These are specific products, it is necessary to take into account the purchasing power of the population and the increase in prices for almost the entire basket of food. Meat producers should consider this issue more seriously and evaluate the market. Now there are offers for a wide variety of bird species. Turkey is actively developing. There is guinea fowl, although it is more expensive than broilers and even turkeys. We need to assess all the risks," she said.
Pheasant has never been a main dish among Russians, it is difficult to find even a sufficient number of recipes for its preparation, so there is no industrial prospect for this type of meat, says Sergey Yushin, head of the National Meat Association. However, it may be in demand for some restaurants and grown on individual farms, the expert added.
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