THIRTY-NINTH BIENNIAL REPORT 59 



REPORT OF BUREAU OF GAME FARMS 



The Bureau of Game Farms in the past biennium has maintained 

 production of upland game birds in captivity for purposes of ;?^stocking 

 new areas or replenishing depleted stock in other areas. 



The main production units were the Yountville Game Farm at 

 Yountville, Napa County and the Los Serranos Game Farm at Chino, 

 San Bernardino County. 



Besides the above mentioned units, a number of smaller units were 

 operated by the State, together with many maintained in cooperation 

 with sportsmen's groups. These usually consist of holding pens where 

 young birds can be reared to an age favorable for release. Some, how- 

 ever, maintain birds for egg production as well. The eggs from the latter 

 were shipped either to the game farm at Yountville or the one at Chino. 



An abode brooder house has been constructed at the unit in the 

 Kern County Park near Bakersfield. A new unit near Fresno will 

 handle eggs from the Central California district. The number of small 

 units is being increased. 



Sportmen's groups in the vicinity of Chico, Marysville, Porterville 

 and Brawley have asked for game farm units and these have been 

 approved. At Porterville the local sportsmen already have made avail- 

 able 48 pens and the Chico club had deeded a piece of property to the 

 State to be used as a site for the unit there. Construction on the other 

 units will be undertaken as soon as possible. Other units in operation, 

 not mentioned above, are located at Redding, Willows, Sacramento, 

 Bakersfield, Castaic and Valley Center and there are many other smaller 

 units containing only holding pens. 



Maintaining production during the war years was a difficult task for 

 many reasons. Chief among these was the shortage of personnel. With so 

 many of the younger employees in the armed services, operation was 

 maintained by the older men, supplemented by boys and girls of high 

 school age, and war veterans in the process of rehabilitation who put in 

 long hours of hard and confining work. Evening classes, once a week for 

 a year and a half, consisting of lectures and motion pictures on Game 

 Farming and Conservation did much toward training the veterans and 

 helping them with their problems. Several have continued on with the 

 work. 



As the war came to an end many men returned to their old positions 

 and although the staff still is short of sufficient experienced personnel 

 the outlook is promising. 



Another problem confronting the efficient operation of the game 

 farm program was the procurement of sufficient and adequate feed. By 

 substituting where possible, and by frequently obtaining discarded 

 grains, this shortage was somewhat overcome. However, the resulting 

 lack of proteins, minerals and vitamins in these feeds had its effects 

 and the birds produced were not quite up to those of former years. The 

 birds took longer to put on weight and their feathering was none too 

 good. It is expected that the feed situation will improve and that condi- 

 tions arising through lack of a proper feed supply will be alleviated. 



