michufc Posted November 15, 2014 Report Share Posted November 15, 2014 Hi to all I was just wondering what to put in my feeders as I would like to put some on my permission as I have had the go ahead for a mini shoot for me and my mate. We will be looking at putting down some ex layers maybe next season but there are plenty of pheasants there now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hifly Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 wheat mixed with chopped maize is an excellent feeder mix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich1985 Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 As above or to save cost see if you can get wheat off a farmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pboro shot Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Wheat will do the job ,forget ex layers in my opinion youll struggle to hold them only takes one to go on walk about and there all gone unless your going to be there dusk till dawn, making sure you keep dogging them in get some poults or day olds if you want to keep cost down if you leave it late you can get some good deals on poults day olds can be had for 50p compared to ex layers £3 to £4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Wheat will do the job ,forget ex layers in my opinion youll struggle to hold them only takes one to go on walk about and there all gone unless your going to be there dusk till dawn, making sure you keep dogging them in get some poults or day olds if you want to keep cost down if you leave it late you can get some good deals on poults day olds can be had for 50p compared to ex layers £3 to £4 Ok thanks for the good advise the farm is a dairy farm would he have wheat I would rather ask you guys on here than have him laugh at me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Possibly if he mills his own rations, but if not he will more than likely know someone who has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Ok thanks I will ask him then as it would be much cheaper for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pboro shot Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 As said he will know someone save you a few ££ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Wheat will do the job ,forget ex layers in my opinion youll struggle to hold them only takes one to go on walk about and there all gone unless your going to be there dusk till dawn, making sure you keep dogging them in get some poults or day olds if you want to keep cost down if you leave it late you can get some good deals on poults day olds can be had for 50p compared to ex layers £3 to £4 We have found ex-layers to be the opposite of the above. We all have full time jobs and can only get round to tend our shoot in daylight hours through Winter, which for us, comprises of Sundays only. Poults are not an option for us because of this, so we buy 125 ex-layers each June ( and have done so for the past four years now) keep them in the pen for a couple of weeks and then let them go. They wander in and out at will, and nest everywhere. We see a few broods throughout Summer but little else, and then there's a scary period where we think they've all done a runner, but come the season, come the birds. We have never had returns of less than 45%, and our highest was just under 60% if I recall. We never dog in as we just aren't there to do it, whereas on our syndicate shoot, on which we buy 6 week olds, the part time keeper has to dog in dusk and dawn. Our ex-layers cost us £2.75 each this last June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitfitter Posted November 16, 2014 Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 If there is a good head of game to start with I would just put plenty of hoppers and drinkers out wheat only is fine and then concentrate not only on the vermin but the coverts once you have established a suitable environment then and only then is it worth investing time and money into released birds be it poults or ex layers which frankly without seeing the ground not one of us could advise which could give better returns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2014 Great advise I will be going up in a few days so I will take some photos to give people a view of what I am working with as it's a blank canvas at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pboro shot Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 We have found ex-layers to be the opposite of the above. We all have full time jobs and can only get round to tend our shoot in daylight hours through Winter, which for us, comprises of Sundays only. Poults are not an option for us because of this, so we buy 125 ex-layers each June ( and have done so for the past four years now) keep them in the pen for a couple of weeks and then let them go. They wander in and out at will, and nest everywhere. We see a few broods throughout Summer but little else, and then there's a scary period where we think they've all done a runner, but come the season, come the birds. We have never had returns of less than 45%, and our highest was just under 60% if I recall. We never dog in as we just aren't there to do it, whereas on our syndicate shoot, on which we buy 6 week olds, the part time keeper has to dog in dusk and dawn. Our ex-layers cost us £2.75 each this last June. Suppose it all depends on a lot of things how much they get disturbed if your surrounded by other shoots etc how much time you have I have the day olds at my house so easy for us to look after mrs keeps a eye out for wheather /temp change when im on rounds so it works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 17, 2014 Report Share Posted November 17, 2014 Suppose it all depends on a lot of things how much they get disturbed if your surrounded by other shoots etc how much time you have I have the day olds at my house so easy for us to look after mrs keeps a eye out for wheather /temp change when im on rounds so it works well. There will always be factors at work I agree. We are surrounded by other shoots (on two sides anyhow) but prior to putting down birds and providing good habitat and numerous feeders the numbers of birds on our land before we developed it for shooting were very small as they had nothing to come here for and were only dispersed here by being driven here. They would always cross back over the river to roost and feed. Now it's the other way around. Most of our birds roost on their land but spend most of the day on our land because of the good habitat we have created over the years. We were initially told ex-layers would burger off and were poor fliers, but we've never found either of these to be true. The adjacent shoot two seasons ago ringed their birds, and we only shot six with rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 These are the photos of the farm for your advise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pboro shot Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Looks ideal sort of land us fen keepers long for..is the land beyond the wood sloping of yours aswell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Looks very very similar to our rough shoot; even the pond seems about the same size, only ours isn't green. Loads of potential for a good little DIY shoot there. It all depends how much freedom you are given to exploit that potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Looks ideal sort of land us fen keepers long for..is the land beyond the wood sloping of yours aswell Yes as you look at the picture the woods slope down away from the photo and to the left and the duck pond is one field to the right of this woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Looks very very similar to our rough shoot; even the pond seems about the same size, only ours isn't green. Loads of potential for a good little DIY shoot there. It all depends how much freedom you are given to exploit that potential. Yep it's pritty green at the min but I hope to turn it around if I can I don't have massive around of time on my hands weekends really in the winter but in the summer it will be better I will keep you updated with the progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berettacocker Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Pellet holds them better than wheat, but works out more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Yep it's pritty green at the min but I hope to turn it around if I can I don't have massive around of time on my hands weekends really in the winter but in the summer it will be better I will keep you updated with the progress We have created ours exclusively on a weekend basis as we all work full time, so it can be done. There are six of us in the rough shoot syndicate but only three of us do the vast majority of the work. One turns up only when he wants firewood, one other lets us use his van to pick up the birds in June, but doesn't contribute in any other way, and the last has not shown up once in the last two seasons apart from a clay shoot we had one day, and every shoot day of course, when everyone turns up. Pick your syndicate members carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Yes it's really for just me and my mate who shoots really although my colleague at work has said he would interested in helping out from a conservation side as he doesn't want to shoot anything which is fine and I respect his views. I joined a syndicate a couple of years ago with another friend it was a diy shoot and there was lots of work parties to which I went to even when my daughter was still a tiny baby. But then it only seemed to be me my friend and one other doing all the work so we both left the syndicate as it was getting a bit of a joke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michufc Posted November 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2014 Just to keep people informed the mini shoot will be a working progress mainly for next season really. Well I went up the farm yesterday and took my 20g and my younger cousin who seems very keen with the shooting side of things. Well I have had a couple of feeders out now for a couple of weeks and I am seeing and hearing more and more pheasants which is really good and last week some pheasants are roosting in the woods aswell. Well yesterday I shot my cock pheasant from the woods so really chuffed and I think I am going to have a go a prep airing it to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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