# Ruffled Grouse Chicks



## Musket

Hello everyone
I was wondering if any of you would be able to tell me where I might be able to obtain some Ruffled Grouse chicks or hatching eggs. I have searched high and low to no avail. I did find a pair of breeder birds but they are out of my reach.
Thanks Gary.


----------



## 2ESRGR8

They do not exist.
Ruffed grouse cannot be raised in captivity.


----------



## Grayphase

You are joking. I hope


----------



## olddouble

2ESRGR8 said:


> They do not exist.
> Ruffed grouse cannot be raised in captivity.


Actually they can, I know someone who does it, but it is very difficult and he gets big money for his birds.


----------



## 2ESRGR8

olddouble said:


> Actually they can, I know someone who does it, but it is very difficult and he gets big money for his birds.


 I have read the claims and seen the pictures but never any results of off-spring survival.


----------



## olddouble

He does it for a hobby, and makes some money when things go right. Losses are sometimes high. He is a fanatic about cleanliness. I don't think he sells individual birds, only breeding pairs.


----------



## 2ESRGR8

Any idea what a breeding pair of Ruffs cost?


----------



## Bonz 54

If you are looking to raise some chicks and release them in your hunting area, it would be a waste of your time and money. Ruffed Grouse (like it was said above) are extremely difficult to raise. Your time and money would be better spent doing habitat improvement on your hunting area. Typical survival of "rasied for release" birds is somewhere south of 10%. FRANK


----------



## milmo1

2ESRGR8 said:


> Ruffed grouse cannot be raised in captivity.


I believe the question concerned RUFFLED Grouse - a distinctly rare bird indeed.


----------



## Grayphase

Ruffled Grouse (ruf'ld grous) n. pl. Gamebird characterized by mottled gray or brown plummage and rounded bodies that have recently dodged a 7/8 oz load of 7 1/2 or 8 shot successfully.


----------



## oilcan

Is that a new kind of grouse maybe we can get a season on that breed.


----------



## Bobby

Grayphase said:


> Ruffled Grouse (ruf'ld grous) n. pl. Gamebird characterized by mottled gray or brown plummage and rounded bodies that have recently dodged a 7/8 oz load of 7 1/2 or 8 shot successfully.


By that definition I ruffled quite a few grouse last fall. Also by that definition the ruffled grouse season overlaps, in nearly every way, the ruffed grouse season.


----------



## WeimGuy88

milmo1 said:


> I believe the question concerned RUFFLED Grouse - a distinctly rare bird indeed.


Is it because they have Rrrrrriiiiiddddggesss?


----------



## olddouble

2ESRGR8 said:


> Any idea what a breeding pair of Ruffs cost?


It has been a couple years but I think it was around $500.


----------



## Musket

Thanks everyone
The one breeding pair I found was going for $450. Just wondering why it is possible to find almost every other type of Grouse yet not the Ruffled. What makes them so much more difficult? The only thing I can figure is perhaps the others have been breed in captivity for so long they are more immune (hardy). And while I am planning on doing more habitat improvement, not much more can be done. It's a perfect set up. The problem is this, there is not a single Ruffled Grouse within a cannon's blast distance. Probably a lot farther than that.
It was a nice thought. Thanks again.
Gary.


----------



## k9wernet

http://ww2.dnr.state.mi.us/publicat...abitat/Reports/WLD-library/2400-2511/2427.pdf


----------



## Bonz 54

Gary,

Don't give up on the habitat improvements. Like the old adage "build it and they WILL come". Best of Luck. FRANK


----------



## Musket

You are correct, never give up. I shall stick with my motto. Some things just aren't done until they are overdone. :lol:
Gary


----------



## BradU20

k9wernet said:


> http://ww2.dnr.state.mi.us/publicat...abitat/Reports/WLD-library/2400-2511/2427.pdf


Did you want some comments???? 

They didn't really "do" anything with that project.

They took eggs from the wild, hatched chicks, and released them. I could do that in my living room with a cardboard box and a desk lamp. 
There was no breeding of captive pairs, no tracking of survival in the wild.


----------



## k9wernet

BradU20 said:


> Did you want some comments????


Nah, I was just sharing for the sake of sharing. It turned up in a quick google search and I thought it was interesting -- I didn't have much of a point beyond that.

I was actually searching for an article I found (and shared here if I remember correctly) 2 or 3 years ago. It was about a guy in the 1930s out in New York who had a very successful Ruffed Grouse breeding program. If I remember correctly, he thought they'd make a good livestock animal -- thought they'd become very popular, but obviously they did not.

Who knows, maybe it was a tongue-in-cheek "Onion" type article and I missed the point and took it at face value. Maybe I'll have time to search some more tonight.

KW


----------

