kennett Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 (edited) Evening All, a friends wife has asked me if it is possible to keep English partridge in a garden, like chickens? And if not, how would you release them on his 360 acre farm? She wants to do it as a birthday present as he is very hard to buy for and loves the few pairs on his own farm. Thanks in advance Edited July 15, 2014 by kennett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 We release a few coveys each year on the shoot, buy them from a game dealer, put them in an ark for a few weeks until they feel 'at home' then allow them to escape at their own pace. Nice to see a couple of pairs about in the spring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 (edited) Oh yeah we run an auto feeder along side the ark spraying a little wheat mix into the ark, they get used to it going off and it draws em back, if your not shooting (at) them that might not matter! Edited July 15, 2014 by Paul223 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted July 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Cheers, no won't be shooting them, there is already a fine on them but a few more wouldn't hurt. Know how to release pheasants and redness, but never had much to do with English Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matone Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Best if a wild pair are about and take the young birds into their care. Better if you could rear under a broody ,then they will have a lot more awareness instilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Up to a few years back we didn't have any wild stock, but some of the land was renown for holding grey partridge many years ago, we've been releasing now for a couple of years and we have a number about so it's worth trying, and certainly a great conservation point , agreed under broodies would be best but at this time of year unlikely! Look hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 All the best practice advice from all the studies is DO NOT RELEASE any Grey partridge if u already have wild btreeding greys. It generally ruins the fenetics of the birds and released stock is never have the same 'sense' for nesting/rearing young. So if they pair up with a wild 1 efectively ruining the chances of that wild 1 succesfilly fledging a brood. Even if u only have 1 or 2 pairs of real wild greys better to try feeding, habitat work if possible and good vermin control. All very boring thou, but it works Be plenty of advice on the GWCT site, or speak to Dave Butler at Perdix supplies, he's a leading expert and done a lot of stdies on greys before starting perdix. We release a few greys every year for walked up shooting and they seem to hold very well (and thats on hill/rashy ground, not ur traditional partridge manor type ground). just release similar to red's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 All the best practice advice from all the studies is DO NOT RELEASE any Grey partridge if u already have wild btreeding greys. It generally ruins the fenetics of the birds and released stock is never have the same 'sense' for nesting/rearing young. So if they pair up with a wild 1 efectively ruining the chances of that wild 1 succesfilly fledging a brood. Even if u only have 1 or 2 pairs of real wild greys better to try feeding, habitat work if possible and good vermin control. All very boring thou, but it works Be plenty of advice on the GWCT site, or speak to Dave Butler at Perdix supplies, he's a leading expert and done a lot of stdies on greys before starting perdix. We release a few greys every year for walked up shooting and they seem to hold very well (and thats on hill/rashy ground, not ur traditional partridge manor type ground). just release similar to red's. An ideal present for the farmer chap would be a place on one of the GWCT partridge conservations days. All farmers should go on one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted July 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Thanks everyone, will let her know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 If u join/register the Grey partridge count scheme, think they will send u out a load of info on how to manage ur land for them and best ways to count them etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matone Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 All the best practice advice from all the studies is DO NOT RELEASE any Grey partridge if u already have wild btreeding greys. It generally ruins the fenetics of the birds and released stock is never have the same 'sense' for nesting/rearing young. So if they pair up with a wild 1 efectively ruining the chances of that wild 1 succesfilly fledging a brood. Even if u only have 1 or 2 pairs of real wild greys better to try feeding, habitat work if possible and good vermin control. All very boring thou, but it works Be plenty of advice on the GWCT site, or speak to Dave Butler at Perdix supplies, he's a leading expert and done a lot of stdies on greys before starting perdix. We release a few greys every year for walked up shooting and they seem to hold very well (and thats on hill/rashy ground, not ur traditional partridge manor type ground). just release similar to red's. All very true,I used to go to a farm shoot where perhaps 15-25 English would be in the bag,the owner insisted on releasing 50 reared birds per year. After roughly 3 years there were not enough English to be shot sustainably ! People still do it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezi bez Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Ive been releasing english for the last 4 years when I took the land on there were no english about at all, up to now ive released about 500 with another 200 being released this year . The birds are breeding exceptionly well I see covers every year arround the shoot as well as on neighbouring land. So go on release sum , just dont release on land with red legs on as the french men will push the english off. regards Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted September 22, 2014 Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 Just thought I'd update this as I had a very pleasant surprise on Saturday, not one but two coveys of wild grey partridge on one wheat stubble, 4 years ago there were no Greys in our area! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1985 Posted September 22, 2014 Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 They can be kept as a pair in an aviary, I had a pair for years, quite happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillmouse Posted September 26, 2014 Report Share Posted September 26, 2014 If you have no English Partridge at all then releasing some isn't going to hurt. If you have ANY wild ones then releasing game farm sourced Greys is a sure way to wipe them out in about 3 seasons on average. Better to buy him a couple of Larsen traps. Red-legs will not push Greys off, another old wives tale. I was a wild partridge keeper and the two species get along fine but Greys are the more dominant (and more successful) but they will nest within a few feet of each other as my nest marking showed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry_o Posted September 27, 2014 Report Share Posted September 27, 2014 If you have no English Partridge at all then releasing some isn't going to hurt. If you have ANY wild ones then releasing game farm sourced Greys is a sure way to wipe them out in about 3 seasons on average. Better to buy him a couple of Larsen traps. Red-legs will not push Greys off, another old wives tale. I was a wild partridge keeper and the two species get along fine but Greys are the more dominant (and more successful) but they will nest within a few feet of each other as my nest marking showed. This is true. Please don't release any if you have any wild birds. Got to keep the wild ones going! We've successfully supported and nurtured them through habitat, feed and vermin control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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