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Rearing day olds any advice


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Depending on how many you are planing on rearing. We did around 800 last season which we incubated with minimum losses.

We also bought in some day old which were a lot more prone to infection (not sure why as we did everything the same) and we lost quite a few.

Our brooders were 8'×8' with around 200 chicks in each. Up to 4 weeks old they had enough room then we moved them in to the brooder with a outside pen attached to help harden them off. We slowly increased the hight of the gas brooder from 10 days old and it was turned off by 21 days old only going back on on cold nights.

They were on a bed of shavings and the corners of the brooders were rounded off with cardboard to stop the chicks piling on top of each other and causing suffocation.

 

It was a lot of work but quite rewarding

 

If you plan to use a building, make a pen that will protect them from vermin

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If only a couple of hundred then a 8x8 brooder will be fine (probably get 400 in that size. Just be wary of infection). As keepersboy says it cost the same in gas/electric for 200 as it does for 400. To give you a idea of how much gas you'll use, this rearing season we used 3/4 of a large propane bottle of gas per brood. Your biggest expense will be the food.

Our poults worked out around 2/3 the cost of the poults we bought in. A lot of work checking on them, if you are around all day then it's not a problem but if you want to have a night away you would need ho get someone else to check on them and be able to spot signs of illness straight away.

 

Good luck if you go ahead.

If you have any questions drop me a pm.

All the best

Mark

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Shoot and be safe, i take it u were not including ur time in the price for home reared birds??

 

It is a lot of work and if u don't know wot ur doing can result in big losses. A shooting agent with his own FT keepers reckoned unless ur rearing 15K+ not even worth thinking about doing it urself, can buy in cheaper and use that 6 weeks (plus setting up dismantling the field) better with the keepers doing other wrok on the shoot

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Hi

All good points been put forward

in my personal opinion every one who shoots driven game should rear birds from eggs

It's very rewarding a great learning curve for all the kids involved in the shoot and the end result is a bonus

Sometimes its good to work for and earn your birds

As to cost its a bit like growing your own potatoes labor seed time digging planting weeding and harvesting 10p a lb never worth it but they taste good 😀😊

Give it a go and enjoy the experience

Just my thoughts

All the best

Of

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I always do 1000 ish plus buy poults very late on ,day olds arent that hard work once you are set up dont use electric use lpg youll only use a few bottles aslong as the temperatures right and you watch how they are acting takes a while to learn but not brain surgery i always bit all birds it doesnt stop pecking but certainly helps ,

500 day olds can be kept in a 10 x 8 shed quite happily then add a fair size pen job done ,,,,well kind of onces you get going its not that hard

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It wil be very rewarding but very time consuming even with a good set up. Plus u have ur set up costs if u have to buy/make everything

 

Speaking to the local game farmer we use and a local very experienced shooter thought he would rear all his own 1 year, built a super douper brooder hut all insulated and lost 3000 the first nite!! Forgot to put air holes in it so gassed the lot of them.

 

I'm hoping to go back to old school rearing some grey part and possibly a few pheas under broodies, probably by 2 seasons time thou till i get everything set up.

Never done it yet but from wot i can gather for 100 or so should be relatively easy and should give u far better wilder poults. And u won't need all the heating/biting or worrying about them squashing each other if too hot/cold etc

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It wil be very rewarding but very time consuming even with a good set up. Plus u have ur set up costs if u have to buy/make everything

 

Speaking to the local game farmer we use and a local very experienced shooter thought he would rear all his own 1 year, built a super douper brooder hut all insulated and lost 3000 the first nite!! Forgot to put air holes in it so gassed the lot of them.

 

I'm hoping to go back to old school rearing some grey part and possibly a few pheas under broodies, probably by 2 seasons time thou till i get everything set up.

Never done it yet but from wot i can gather for 100 or so should be relatively easy and should give u far better wilder poults. And u won't need all the heating/biting or worrying about them squashing each other if too hot/cold etc

Hi

Better qualified than me but used to rear 100 greys each year

I found silky bantams were the best by far good mums cheap to feed

It's just finding them and getting broodys at the right time

All the best

Of

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I've reared 1000s of birds and it is bloody hard work as already stated, it is rewarding yes granted. Every1 seems to have forgot to mention the fun of bit fitting etc tho. It's a must do thing tho even if you do it just once with a few birds jus to see what it's all about and to learn abit more.

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Supricing how quick 2 of you can bit a 1000 odd worst bit if its to cold to bring chicks out of heat have to stay in shed with heat but as said youll get quick one or two sheds of pheasantd isnt that hard work partridges are bit more delicate .

As I said ill do 1000 odd every season then buy up late poults to top up for one shoot the other shoot buys in poults as thats how farm likes to do it but is more expensive .

I look at it like this im getting paid wotever so if im rearing birds or digging drainage aslong as all the jobs get done and theres birds in the day on the day and everyones happy ..job done best job there is well most days

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Thanks for all your help,hints and advice lads there's a lot to take on board,I am defiantly going to have a go though. D

Thanks for all your help,hints and advice lads there's a lot to take on board,I am defiantly going to have a go though. D

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I rear all my English partridge under broodys and have done for many years the best stock to get your hands on are light Sussex cross silkies I have had these sit 2 clutches back to back then when I release them I put the broody in the release pen even if they are old enough she calls them and they stay in the area my passion is the little English partridge I see them pairing up now on are shoot and i have stopped the guns shooting then help them out atb

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We rear 1000 - 1500 birds and it is very rewarding. The main things I would say to beware of is:-

 

1) Temperature- if they get cold then their internal organs begin to fail and they may not recover, even when heat is restored. We lost a shed load this season because a heater failed overnight and, even though most of them looked ok, they all died over the following week so check and double check.

 

2) Disease- don't delay if you suspect disease. Medication can be expensive but it's worth it and cleanliness is paramount. Look for healthy black and white droppings. If they're yellow or black and runny then there's a problem. Lethargy and weight loss is also an indicator.

If the birds are 'snicking' or yawning then suspect Gape worm.

There's plenty of info on the web regarding diseases and treatment. Hexamita and Coccydosis being the main ones.

 

You'll realise how strong your birds have become when you catch them to remove the bits before release.

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