manxman Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 Having a disaster with our birds this year. Delivered 2 weeks ago from our usual supplier. Two days later we had some rain overnight & I found 12 dead in the same pen out of 50. The day after another 23. Last Tuesday had a bit more rain & 8 dead in another pen. It's raining tonight & I'm dreading what I'm going to find tomorrow. We usually get 200/250 & in the past 10 years or so we expect to loose maybe a dozen tops while in the pens, often less. We have done nothing different to previous years. Same birds, same feed. Everything cleaned & disinfected & I've known much worse weather. Can anyone offer advice as to what might be wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 You need vetiranary advice my friend. Could be any of a thousand reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxman Posted July 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 I was thinking on those lines, Gandalf. If things carry on like this we won't have a shoot this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1440 Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 (edited) Flu? I did overhear that there's been a problem on a shoot in the North where they have resorted to calling in a vet. Edited July 14, 2017 by Paul1440 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 Are the birds well featured, try lifting a wing or two, are they bald on their backs? Is their breast meat thin, does the breast bone protrude a lot? Are the dead birds huddled together and some of them flat? And where abouts are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 "A" were they hardened off,if not they die like flies,like getting phenumonia.. Been there,What disaster... Did save a few putting them under heat quickly,Some still died.. Bad storm one night caught the game farm by suprise,got there next morning he was still running round like a headless chicken,,been through 5 coats during the night.. My lad and I picked up bags of them,it was heartbreaking to say the least.. "B" They have picked up something,,one year they just stopped eating,,The fool running it had put a load of medicine in the water,the more they drank the fuller they felt.. They starved to death.. Took the vet some time to figure that one out.. You will have try and get someone who can see whats going on,,look at the stools,tongues,eyes,stomaches..They have a thousand ways to die before getting anywhere near a gun. Are they staning about,,still,,,if so they have not been hardened off.. They look as miserable as sin.. My sympathies till you get what it is,,you can only guess on here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pg123 Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 Do you have any medicated pellets? If so must be wort trying swapping on to those. Maybe try something in the water. Both desperate measures but anything may be worth a try. Do you birds have good shelter? I do know a guy who once put tarpaulins over part of his pens when the weather turned bad. Does really sound like a vet job but thats a cost not easy for a small shoot to stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 I would suspect they were not adequately hardened off. How old were they when you got them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 Put it this way,,if in fact they have not been hardened,,found to be the case.. They owe you some replacements my friend.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxman Posted July 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 Wow, loads of great replies. I have work at 5.00 so quickly, plenty of shelters in all 4 pens. On medicated pellets. All 7 to 8 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxman Posted July 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 Having talked to other local shoots who received the same birds & also the opinions on this thread, it looks more than likely the poults were not hardened off sufficiently. The other shoots were predictably tight lipped about how many the have actually lost,but reading between the lines I would say more than would normally be expected. Many thanks for the helpful replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 I would talk to who you got them off. I would try Baycox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 To be honest if u have been using the same supplier for years i would of suspected a disease rather than lack of hardenening off, unless he's changed things about on the rearing field/cutting corners/selling extra birds compared to usual. Plus if ur birds are 7/8 weeks old now they should be past the stage where hardening off would make a big difference i would of thought, esp if plenty of shelters/cover in pen.and its not been tht bitterly cold for all its been wet Like others have said many ways a pheasant will kill itself. I would scour the pens looking for signs, possibly have a look throu internet 1st to see wot indicators of which disease. Most have mentioned the key symptoms/signs to look for poo, behaviour and body condition. Somretimes for a vet u need a live bird? To me it sounds like they've had something and the added sress of being released +rain has brought it on, hopefully ur birds might be over it now if u have not had many dieing in the meantime? Would feeding medicated pellets help? I thought most medicated pellets just contain a wormer mainly for gapes, so if its not gapes or another worm problem it might not do any good (Dunno if its the same with pheasants but worming them could actually take some condition of them short term, i have heard that with sheep/medication around/before lambing time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 Having talked to other local shoots who received the same birds & also the opinions on this thread, it looks more than likely the poults were not hardened off sufficiently. The other shoots were predictably tight lipped about how many the have actually lost,but reading between the lines I would say more than would normally be expected. Many thanks for the helpful replies.Why not actually answer the questions posed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 It has been many years now since I had a similar problem and if I remember the detail, we sent off two or three carcasses to an establishment somewhere near Nottingham ...animal diseases centre .... and they gave us a full report by return and we managed to clear out the infected birds and save some but had to re order having fully disinfected everything and the ground. That is also a big problem if they have an infection, you will have to put the replacements in a clean pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berthaboo Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 We had 100 in a small pen last year and lost about 10 to buzzards that we know of and we was happy with that. This year we have put 300 down, 75 in the small pen and 225 in another big pen we have made in another wood. Sadly this year the small pen has been hammer by the buzzards they are taking one or two a day currently. Speaking to people about the problem and it seems to be happening to a lot of shoots this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIDES EDGE Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 Wet weather will kill poor birds it also makes the others liable to catch disease medicated feed will not help as stated this is for gapes you need a vet they probably have hexi or coxi probably both and need a perscription medecine I have lost 300 this year in exactley the same conditions and had to get the vet all ok now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted July 16, 2017 Report Share Posted July 16, 2017 (edited) Hi again mate,, By the way, if you do get some more birds, for heavens sake don't put them in the same pen.. You will be looking for big trouble then.. Segregated pen within a pen ok,,as long as they cannot peck the droppings or use the same drinkers.. Just keep them well apart A T B. And NO DUCKS ANYWHERE NEAR THE PEN.. Edited July 16, 2017 by subsonicnat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted July 17, 2017 Report Share Posted July 17, 2017 Also it is important to find a vet with some knowledge of game bird / poultry diseases. They will then need two or three sick but live birds to PM. Once that happens you should have some confidence that you have the right treatment for the right ailment. When I had to do this it was surprisingly cheap which was a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Scotland Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 We had 100 in a small pen last year and lost about 10 to buzzards that we know of and we was happy with that. This year we have put 300 down, 75 in the small pen and 225 in another big pen we have made in another wood. Sadly this year the small pen has been hammer by the buzzards they are taking one or two a day currently. Speaking to people about the problem and it seems to be happening to a lot of shoots this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Scotland Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 You could try making a scarecrow dress him /her quite brightly a stick for a gun is a good touch move it around the pen daily and watch the results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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