Pheasant Survival???

[deeksofdoom]

I’m a member of a gun club in Ireland. What a lot of clubs do is buy adult birds from shoots in the UK to restock our own clubs.

The birds either come from shoots or game farms. This year we ought birds which came off a game farm in Whales. We had a very poor return on these birds and there are a couple of theories going about as to what happened to these birds.

 

They are as follows;

1.The birds were over wintered birds and were not used to the wild when they were released in March they were unable to feed themselves and they perished.

2.The birds were fed antibiotics while they were in captivity. When they were released into the wild they had no antibiotics, whatever disease they were carrying took hold and as well as the released birds dying they also infected our wild stock of birds.

 

Does anyone have any other theory that can be added to this?

[al4x]

could be the breed were more susceptible to wandering, or your feeders weren't enough for them and someone locally was feeding better or had better habitat for them.

[Blackpowder]

I have been involved in syndicates which on two occasions released adult ex-laying pen birds. Fifty all tagged and recovered two tags- they wander far and wide as we never heard of any numbers being shot on neighbouring shoots.

 

Blackpowder

[deeksofdoom]

could be the breed were more susceptible to wandering, or your feeders weren't enough for them and someone locally was feeding better or had better habitat for them.

 

On the feeders we didn't have any feeders, I know its crazy putting out birds without feeders but that's what had been done in the club in the past. I had been campaigning to put out feeders but "them as was in the kno'" and the "nay sayers" made a mockery of putting out feeders and I was shot down. The results of the return of birds from last year, has now made them realize that feeders should be put out. It all came down to trying to save money last year and instead €1500 worth of birds were wasted.

 

I have been involved in syndicates which on two occasions released adult ex-laying pen birds. Fifty all tagged and recovered two tags- they wander far and wide as we never heard of any numbers being shot on neighbouring shoots.

 

Blackpowder

 

Could have been that those birds died of starvation / disease?

[al4x]

layers don't tend to fly well anyway so they may have been about and just not shot, with no feeders unless there is abundant natural food they will have to wander to feed. Don't worry too much about them having been medicated as you'll struggle to find any that aren't because otherwise they just die during rearing. Best option is to line up some pellets for when you get them next year. Have release pens and feed them in there till they are out of them most of the time and are flying well then keep feeders round the place filled up. If you don't feed pheasants they will just move on

[Ireland's Finest!]

I’m a member of a gun club in Ireland. What a lot of clubs do is buy adult birds from shoots in the UK to restock our own clubs.

The birds either come from shoots or game farms. This year we ought birds which came off a game farm in Whales.

 

This seems an unusual way to put pheasants out

 

Would yous not just buy in 6 wk old poults from somebody around who sells them and rear them in a release pen until their fully grown and fit to fly,then just have feeders placed around the club grounds to support them in the winter? This way they become adapted to the wild before the season starts an providing you've been feeding them well in the wks/months before the season starts they shouldnt be wandering and if you've good cover around you should get good returns.