BelgianHunter

I've reared some pheasants under bantams, and i've put them to wood about a month ago. They're now 8 weeks old and are starting to explore... I've been hand feeding them every morning where i released them, there is also a hopper but they don't really use it. My question is when and how do i start pulling them to a small drive? I've released them in a wood about 10 acres and would like to get them to a maize strip about 400 yards away from the wood. Many thanks!

I was thinking of doing some ducks. I was thinking of putting 50-60 under a heat lamp, feeding duck crumb and five them plenty of water through a bell drinker. If weather permits i would let them out on the grass after a couple of days. Hopefully they're off heat by 8-9 days. By the third week i would introduce some water trays so they can get used to the water/swimming. And by 5-6 weeks i would put them on the ponds on the shoot. You guys think this is doable?

I've heard of chickenfarmers used to soak their wheat, and let it sit until it started to germinate. At this moment they gave it to the birds. I was told because of the germination, it now contained a certain vitamin, vitamin E. This vitamin would improve fertility in the chicken eggs.

As in what do you prefer at the end of a drive at the flushing point. Or are most flushing points just open woods, so you can group them up nicely?

Hi all, what is your prefered cover to flush birds out? Open Woods, brambles, maize,...? And Why? I like to hear your opinions. cheers

I was wondering how you rear mallard from day old? As i find a lot of info about pheasants, but not that much about ducks. As to when to get them off heat, when to introduce water and when to eventually put them on a pond. Hope you guys can give me some info. Thanks

Thanks for the input! The last couple of years I just inviteded a couple of friends for an evening flight, but i was looking for something different. That's why i wanted to make a drive out of it. So if i understand you guys correctly, if I were to feed them away from the pond they would be good flyers. So if i were to drive the duck from the pond, would they keep cerciling at a good height? I would only shoot them 2-3 times, with 4-5 guns. What do you think?

Thank you guys for your insight! I was thinking to put down 100 duck or so. I was wondering if the duck would fly back from the feeding site, in small groups or would they all take off in one big group. And does the flying ability of the birds affect the shot birds ratio? As in bad flyers give a better return, and good flying birds give a lower percentage shot. I'm really interested in how everyone else does it.

I'm looking to put some duck down on a pond. I would feed them away from the pond. But how/when do you shoot them? Do you feed them somewhere else, and then put the guns in between the feeding place and the pond? And will they circle around the pond, trying to get to the pond. Or how do they react?

But if you have a picky gun, whom only shoots at high birds. And there is another gun who shoots at everything that flies. How do you cope with this?

Great, thank you guys a lot for the clarification!

Hello, This might seem a stupid question. But how does the financial part of a days shooting go? Does everyone pays for the amount of birds he shot, or how is it done? Kind Regards

Isn't it possible to make them, the same way you can make homemade feedingballs(don't know what its called in english) you give to small songbirds? I just read something about using Gelatin as a main substance. I have no idea, whether or not it is to expensive. Just putting it out there

Hi again, Is it possible to keep poults in the same closed pen(i mean with a net a top) as adult pheasants? Kind Regards, BelgianHunter

I just had 1 cock for 4 hens, so I don't think that should have been the problem. And indeed, I washed them before storing them. I just oped the eggs, at the end i had 12 fertile eggs(which had chicks) and 28 unfertile. Is this due to unfertile hens or bad handling of the eggs, maybe the eggs i used were to old?(i stored and collected them for 21 days)

Thanks guys, I definitely will try to improve the quality of my eggs next year. This year I gave them laying pellets for chickens, which isn't very good for the quality. I asked someone and he said I shouldn't have given them laying pellets for chickens as it is just for pure quantity. And I also have a slight feeling one of my hens is a bit sick. Thanks for the input, Hopefully more luck next time

Wow that's superb! I couldn't find the site where i found them, but i can give you a picture: http://images.lulusoso.com/upload/20120329/electric_heating_egg_incubator_for_chicken.jpg I know it's not top of the line, but last year i had some Reeve pheasant eggs in them. And had a 24 hatches from 32 eggs.

Thanks guys for the help! I hope it will work out better next year. I'll have to buy some this year.

I have a couple of hens in a pen, so i picked them myself. It's possible that some were a bit old(2weeks). But it's not really the hatchrate i'm suprised from, it's the fact that they hatch this late and they aren't very healty. I will try and get 85% next time.

Update, 2 came out but their leggs aren't straight. I stored the eggs in a eggbox wrapped in paper towel, in a hallway at about 16-17°C. They were also turned 5 times a day. No, I didn't candle the eggs. And what do you mean with enough oxygen? There are a couple of smale holes in my incubator. And i'm from Belgium, so probably lives near my from this forum.

They're just normal pheasants, nothing special. Only 40 or so. I've put them in a semi-autom incubator (turned them 5 times a day until the 20the day). It's the second time I tried this year hatching some, from the last batch only 8 hatched but they were all to weak so despatched. I just don't know what i did wrong, maybe the lowering of the temp?

Hi all This is my second time I try to hatch pheasant eggs, but it is also the second time they hatch a day and a half late. I've put them in the incubator 2/06 at 9 am, at a temp of 37.7°C and a humidity of about 50-55%. I stopped turning them the 22(20days after start) and dropped the temp to 36.7°C and raised the humidity to 75%. I thought the pheasant eggs would hatch 26/06(24days after start), But they didn't not even 1. But when i came home today(27/06) at 8.30pm. I found some were still trying to hatch. Was i wrong thinking they would hatch after 24 days? Would love some advice! Regards