Kes Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 Our pheasants have been 'to wood' for 3/4 weeks. When I go to feed and check, the numbers seem to have declined alarmingly from the 400 I orginally put in the pen. Food take seems lower than normal - no holes in the pen /waters fine/plenty of feeders/no bodies after the first week (12 lost). Why am I convinced we have lost a high percentage ? I have three feeders outside the pen which are being used but not excessively. No tyre tracks nor footprints near the pen, yet I bet there are no more than 100 birds in there, if that. Is it normally what others feel or have I a problem of bird 'wastage' (whatever the cause). Any experience would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ91 Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) What crops are around your wood. This useiualy happens when there is large amounts of maze and rape around the wood. Try walking the tramlines to push them back and get plenty of snares running. Edited July 22, 2012 by russ91 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted July 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 What crops are around your wood. This useiualy happens when there is large amounts of maze and rape around the wood. Try walking the tramlines to push them back and get plenty of snares running. Russ - Thx. The pen is in a long wood which is on the side of a steep hill. Maize in the field adjacent but I simply cant see any in the tram lines. Badgers all over the place and buzzards, a few deer but no signs of fox. I keep thinking someones been and taken them. No way I know of checking but they could be anywhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markm Posted July 22, 2012 Report Share Posted July 22, 2012 When you first put them in the all huddle together but after a while they scratch around on their own, is it not they are spread around more or you have just convinced yourself there have been loses. Try getting someone to walk them around and you stay in one place for a head count as they pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scutt Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) to check on our poults we sit and watch them as thy cross a ride to head back to the pen normaly at about 7 pm(scottish borders.)how big is the pen as we have a large pen with lots of cover and the poult hunker down and are hard to spot.do you whistle them up and scatter a bit of corn when checking the feeders when you get as paranoid as me you use all these tips to try and count them if nowts obviose no bodys etc then ps after thought have you wheaned of the pellets and onto corn do you have feeders outside of the pen Edited July 23, 2012 by scutt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Where they clipped ? The first time we released poults we lost nearly all of them, fortunately only released 100 that year. What happened was it was tall dense braken on the inside and outside of the pen, with tracks cut along the wire both inside and out. Even so first day most of the pheasants poults walked up the bracken and flitted over the wire, that night they jugged together just outside the wire and would not shift. Next day they just wandered off and got into standing wheat (we could not get there for first light). Saw 15 half a mile away a week later and that was it. Left with about 20 in the pen. The problem was they never found the feeders or got to regard the pen as 'home' as they got out so quickly, also because the bulk were out there was not enough 'pulling power' from the birds inside to hold the escapees close by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferretboy111 Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Remember 400 poults don't look like 400 poults, if that makes sense. I had 600 in each rearing shed and it looked like 200. Foxes push them about even after the first night- I have had a few birds that have reached closed top pens 1000yards from the open top pens due to being pushed about. I shouldn't worry too much- unless you have disease or your pen has been overstocked they will be about still. But start looking further afield to surrounding drives. Cheers A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Thanks all for the comments - generally made me feel a bit better. No we didnt clip them and I am now a fervent believer in wing clipping and blocking the pop holes - we only shoot about 30%. To add to my discomfort, our cover crops are either last years or not planted yet by the chap who does them. No birds and little game cover - its going to be a thin year I think ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malantone Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 WENT UP THE WOOD TODAY TO HAND FEED TWO PENS,AT THE WEEKEND WE PUT 500 IN ONE AND 200 IN THE OTHER. I WALKED UP RIDES WE HAVE CUT IN THE BRACKEN, WHISTLEING AND DROPPING FOOD, OUT OF THE 700 I WOULD BE LUCKY IF I SAW 100, BUT EVERY YEAR IT`S THE SAME, IN A FEW WEEKS THEY WILL GET USED TO ME AND WILL COME OUT OF COVER TO FEED, BUT EVEN THEN I WILL ONLY SEE 2 TO 3 HUNDRED. I WOULDN`T WORRY TO MUCH IF THERE ARE NO BODIES AND EVIDENCE OF PREDATORS, THE BIRDS MAY NOW BE FEEDING ON WILD FOOD, MAYBE THEY PREFER A NICE JUICY FLY TO KNOCKING A FEED SPRING FOR DRY PELLETS. GOOD LUCK KEEP US POSTED Tony A.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted July 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 WENT UP THE WOOD TODAY TO HAND FEED TWO PENS,AT THE WEEKEND WE PUT 500 IN ONE AND 200 IN THE OTHER. I WALKED UP RIDES WE HAVE CUT IN THE BRACKEN, WHISTLEING AND DROPPING FOOD, OUT OF THE 700 I WOULD BE LUCKY IF I SAW 100, BUT EVERY YEAR IT`S THE SAME, IN A FEW WEEKS THEY WILL GET USED TO ME AND WILL COME OUT OF COVER TO FEED, BUT EVEN THEN I WILL ONLY SEE 2 TO 3 HUNDRED. I WOULDN`T WORRY TO MUCH IF THERE ARE NO BODIES AND EVIDENCE OF PREDATORS, THE BIRDS MAY NOW BE FEEDING ON WILD FOOD, MAYBE THEY PREFER A NICE JUICY FLY TO KNOCKING A FEED SPRING FOR DRY PELLETS. GOOD LUCK KEEP US POSTED Tony A.. Thanks Tony - i'll keep you updated if I suddenly start seeing an improvement - I can only hope! Cheers Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Well it's four weeks now, do you have any idea of the amount of feed consumed? Might give you an indication of the numbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted July 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Well it's four weeks now, do you have any idea of the amount of feed consumed? Might give you an indication of the numbers? There is a difficulty there in that we share pen duties, particularly feeding. Soome shoot members see more than I do. Food consumption to me is about a bag a day for 400 poults? I think we have nearer half that in the wood and in the pen. Any ideas how many poults a bag a day suggests? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) most feed manufacturers suggest 12 bags per 1000 per week (some say 15?), that won't allow for wastage with wet weather, vermin etc but it should give you some sort of idea, i did some number crunching earlier and our feed used / bird numbers / what we think we have left calculations work out about right work out how many bags you've used since the birds went in and divide it by 6 (for 400 birds that you put in), that should give you numbers of weeks birds have been in eg we've used 100 bags of feed, divded by 18 (1200 birds) gives us 5.555, (our birds went in 26 june) Edited July 27, 2012 by Paul223 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted July 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) So Paul if I am feeding a bag per day in a week thats 5/7 so we are talking just less than 500 - thats incredibly close to the 400 which should be there. Fingers crossed the calc is roughly correct. Many thanks for the reassurance !!!! Kes When I fed up tonight, something spooked the birds and a lot flew from the bottom to the top of the pen - a bit more like the numbers there should be. We have a badger problem though as they are raiding all the external feeders. I'd rather we didnt have quite so many of those beasties ! Edited July 27, 2012 by Kes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 ditch the springs and buy wright feeders, saves the badgers raiding the feed, birds love em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malantone Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 ditch the springs and buy wright feeders, saves the badgers raiding the feed, birds love em I haven`t tried a wright feeder but they look as though thet might be too easy, IE they look as though the food will come out far to easily, springs make the birds work and keeps them busy, ie they stay to the wood better. IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 nah a few on our shoot thought the same but even the mini pellet won't run through it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M ROBSON Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 So Paul if I am feeding a bag per day in a week thats 5/7 so we are talking just less than 500 - thats incredibly close to the 400 which should be there. Fingers crossed the calc is roughly correct. Many thanks for the reassurance !!!! Kes When I fed up tonight, something spooked the birds and a lot flew from the bottom to the top of the pen - a bit more like the numbers there should be. We have a badger problem though as they are raiding all the external feeders. I'd rather we didnt have quite so many of those beasties ! I was feeding 2 bags a day to 800 birds so it looks like your about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigandy1022 Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 If you were loosing bird to raptor strikes there would be feather mounds all over. If a fox or bardger was killing them you would be finding loads of bodies. There are probably a few escapees, however the pens always look empty after the initial release. Dont panic unless you start finding dead birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted August 12, 2012 Report Share Posted August 12, 2012 They do escape and walk. A few years ago I put 50 black ones in a pen, 2 weeks after release 2 black ones were trying to get into another pen that was 900 yards from their release point. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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