Rearing poults from caught-up birds

[Jim Neal]

I've never had any experience of trying to rear from eggs collected from caught-up birds (or rearing any game/poultry). I'm trying to work out what would be involved and if it would be viable to have a small-scale test.

 

My situation is I don't have any space at home for a shed/pen but I'm lucky enough to live literally a 5 minute drive from my release pen in the woods.

 

With my caught-up birds already contained in a small pen, I'd be interested to know how people would go about things such as:

 

1) Keeping the adult birds. I understand it's a rule of thumb to have 1 cock to about 7 hens. What size pen? What do you put in the pen in terms of nesting facilities?

 

2) Hatching. I'm guessing you'd collect eggs and then take them home and put in an incubator, which I think I could get hold of. What do you do with the poults immediately after they hatch? What do you feed them? How long until they can go outside?

 

3) As I can't keep them at home, is it possible to build some sort of shed/shelter in an enclosed pen within my release pen? I'm guessing it might have to be heated?

 

4) At what age should the poults be allowed out into the main release pen?

 

Plus a hundred other things I haven't considerd....

 

Any thoughts appreciated!

 

Thanks

[Walker570]

A lot of work involved for a start and considerable expenditure initially. I have reared 200 partridges(lot easier than pheasants) in a small derelict cow shed but knocked a small hole and put a run outside as well. I have also reared 100 pheasants in a small garage just big enough for one car. This was from day olds to release. It can be done but you really need to be close on hand to do the job well.

Feed Stuff suppliers will give you advice on feeds required, from initial chick to growers ..don't skimp on medication(expensive but required). For relatively small numbers the expense does not warrant rearing your own in my view. Great satisfaction without doubt, but easier to buy in some day olds and take it from there. Don't forget, apart from catching those hens in the first place you have to feed them top quality food to get results.

I certainly do not wish to dampen your spirit one little bit, but I have been there and know just how much is involved.

[subsonicnat]

Its not that easy mate,ask a keeper with thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

Even if you do rear a few,they will be trying to commit suicide from the day of hatching..

It is not for the faint hearted..

[shoot and be safe]

It is very rewarding but is very time consuming.

 

We did a few for the shoot that I used to be on.

We caught up around 12 hens and a couple of cocks. The pen was only 20foot×20 foot.

We put in a few branches for cover and some wood chip under a low shelter for them to lay their eggs in. Some of the hens used it and others just laid in the open.

 

Once you have collected the eggs, store them pointed end down until you have enough for your incubator.

 

The biggest problem you will have is keeping everything sterile.

 

Depending on how many eggs you are setting will depend on how you clean the eggs.

If you are only planning on doing a small amount -100, then buy some egg wash.

 

Keep an eye on the temperature and humidity, humidity is more critical than temperature but they both need to be at the right setting.

When they start to hatch, DO NOT OPEN THE INCUBATOR. they will be ok in there for at least 24 hours as long as the humidity is high.

 

When you are ready to move them, put them in a brooding hut. This can be a corner of your shed with a heat source. They will need heat for around 3 weeks, slowly lifting the heat to harden them off.

 

Ideally you would have hardening pens to bring them on until release.

 

Feed wise, start them off on chick crumbs moving on to chick grower. Your game feed suppliers will know what you need.

 

If you use your release pen, make sure it is free of disease.

 

You should be fine to release your poults at around 6 weeks.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Good luck in your venture, it's time consuming but very rewarding.

[scotslad]

I'd jst also highlight just how much work it is.

 

Never done the incubation part.

 

We used to just keep the laying hens in a smallish pen prob 30m sq and brailed the birds rather than netting the pen, its good if there is a good grass cover as pen can get quite muddy in wet weather. Most just have a few wigwams of brash so easy enough to find and pick any eggs. If its not roof netted u might get bother with crows.

We kept the eggs in a fridge till we dropped them off to get incubated, as u will want enough eggs to run a batch in ur incubator, but ideally u want enugh space in ur incubator to do all the birds at once. Keeps life simplier than having different aged batches esp on a small scale.

 

Our brooder huts used to be 8x8 for 500 day olds, plus ur night shelter and then run after that, really u wil need to be checking ur birds 4+ times a day as a bare minimum, basically anytime the temp changes even throu the night, so u can adjust the brooder heaters. as the birds will squash themselves under them if too cold or in corners if too hot.

Will drown themself's in the drinkers too. then u might have to bit them too.

Also any diseases u have to be really on the ball, thats how the good game farmers make it look so easy because they notice every tiny detail and catch any diseases so early before it becomes an issue

 

There really is quite a lot to it and u will have to be careful for disease esp with the ex layers, adults pheasants can harbour more disease/infection/parasites without becoming ill, even 6 week old poults would become ill if they come into contact so day olds are even worse. But if ur laying hens are near ur release pen u could have disease problems even if u buy poults in from elsewhere

 

 

I'm thinking of doing something similar althou prob be for 2 seasons time but going really old school and using broodies/bantys to incubate the eggs and look after the day old chicks until poults.

Still to do a bit of reading/research about it but for small numbers it will take a lot of the expense out of it (no gas r brooder huts needed) and went to be far better wilder birds that survive better in wild too.

[Jim Neal]

Thanks a lot guys, there's some really helpful advice there, I really appreciate it. I was never under the impression it would be anywhere near easy, and would fully expect a lot of time to have to go into it!

 

With a bit better idea of what would be involved, I'll probably make plans for next year's season rather than rush into a half baked job this year. Time is at a premium for me at the moment so I don't want to bite off more than I can chew!

 

I might wait until we move house and get a bigger garden, that'll please the mrs

Edited February 4, 2017 by Jim Neal