The founder stock was obtained in 1993 under a license to harvest eggs from the wild. 153 eggs were collected, resulting in 138 chicks that were transferred to the captive breeding centre in Agadir. The 1995 breeding season gave the first indications of the success of production and breeding techniques, with 29 females laying 169 eggs. The 1996 season again confirmed the success of adopted breeding techniques with the production of 309 chicks which were retained for future breeding. Over the years the breeding centre in Agadir has consistently produced 1,000-1,500 birds annually. The breeding station now holds 325 layers and 125 breeder males. The Desert Release and Research Station in Errachidia also began organized captive breeding and production in 2006, reaching a production of 500 chicks in 2009 from 85 layers and 50 breeder males.

Breeding program:
The production team is formed of well-trained Moroccan nationals to manage every aspect of breeding and rearing of Houbara. The breeding procedure starts with the collection of semen from trained male birds by skilled keepers using a dummy. Under captive conditions, male birds display courtship behaviour between December and June.
Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the semen is performed immediately after collection. A minimum insemination dose of 10 million sperms is prepared for artificially insemination of receptive females. The sperms are deposited intravaginally using a specially designed micropipette and cloacal retractor forceps.
Eggs are laid between January and June in captivity. The clutch size varies from 2-4 eggs and clutch interval between 6-15 days. Successful artificial incubation and hatching of houbara eggs requires extreme skill and in-depth knowledge of individual egg characteristics. IFCDW uses in-house developed incubation machines and commercial small incubators to meet the specific requirements of the developing embryo. A fertility rate of 85% and hatchability rate of 75% has been achieved over the years.

Rearing system:
Houbara chicks are semi-precocial requiring warmth and assisted feeding for the first few weeks of life. Caring for young chicks is a skill that requires the “love for the bird” since staff must act as “surrogate mother” hand feeding and caring for young chicks until such time they can feed on their own. The care for the new breed is a constant and daily process. The Foundation has specially designed climate controlled nurseries and chick boxes to manage the brooding and rearing of chicks and juveniles. Formulated diets supplemented with crickets, mealworms and plant matter make up for most part of the food regimen. All chicks after six weeks of age are raised in Errachidia to adapt to natural desert environment to facilitate early release programs.
The breeding department is assisted by a team of professional veterinarians and well qualified geneticists and molecular biologists.