Pen sections

[Clodhopper]

Just after a of advice for those more knowledgeable.

 

This year we are trialing a drive on a part of the farm which is nowhere near our main release pens. We would like to release a few birds there, around 50, and thought building a temporary sectional temporary pen would fit the bill for this year. As I have only released pheasants from large open topped pens in woods I am winging it, does the PW massive have any tips or tricks that may help?

[Walker570]

A number of years ago, in fact early 80s, a friend of mine, the late Stuart Jarvis, Head Keeper at Glanusk Park, trialled releasing pheasants in a wood using pen sections.  He was mustard on vermin which would be the main problem.  I did see a couple of drives from that wood and the one above it that season and things went reasonably well, but I don't believe he continued the idea as he was a traditional keeper. 

I would think a very effective electric fence around the set would be needed and if I remember Stuart had a miriad small feeders through the wood and the birds where actually released/pen sections lifted within a few weeks and lots of dogging in.

[Clodhopper]

Thanks Walker, my thoughts were along those lines. Electric and a .243 will be the main protection, my other thoughts were to put plenty of branches etc in the pen to occupy them. The nearby wood is on a very steep slope so a permanent traditional type pen will be difficult to build so we want to try it out as such, before we do something more costly in both time and money

[ColinF]

We did this a few years ago, in a very similar situation to you.

We kept the birds in the pen for about three weeks, then set up the same feeders and drinkers that the birds were used to out side the pen, and released a few birds every day until they were all out. We found that feather pecking was more of a problem, so we used to give them other things to peck, like cabbages, kale, maize cobs etc and tried release the more aggressive birds first.

It worked ok, and it gave us an extra drive for a couple of years.

[Walker570]

14 hours ago, Clodhopper said:

Thanks Walker, my thoughts were along those lines. Electric and a .243 will be the main protection, my other thoughts were to put plenty of branches etc in the pen to occupy them. The nearby wood is on a very steep slope so a permanent traditional type pen will be difficult to build so we want to try it out as such, before we do something more costly in both time and money

The circumstances I quoted were in a ride running up and through a steep sided wood hanging over a valley. Very difficult as you describe to erect a traditional pen.

[Clodhopper]

Thanks for the advice chaps. Hopefully we will get some degree of success.

[Paul223]

On 18/07/2018 at 21:42, Clodhopper said:

Thanks Walker, my thoughts were along those lines. Electric and a .243 will be the main protection, my other thoughts were to put plenty of branches etc in the pen to occupy them. The nearby wood is on a very steep slope so a permanent traditional type pen will be difficult to build so we want to try it out as such, before we do something more costly in both time and money

What do you have at the bottom of the slope or opposite? as these are the better locations for a pen, then feed the birds up onto the slope.

Pen sections will work fine with a decent electric fence and several spurs run off to buzz any unwanted visitors.

Harris fencing might be an easy pen building material for the long term pen!

[Penelope]

3 hours ago, Paul223 said:

What do you have at the bottom of the slope or opposite? as these are the better locations for a pen, then feed the birds up onto the slope.

Pen sections will work fine with a decent electric fence and several spurs run off to buzz any unwanted visitors.

Harris fencing might be an easy pen building material for the long term pen!

***** fencing makes great pen panels. We've used them on my shoot to make two pens, doubling them up for height.

[Clodhopper]

Unfortunately the sloping wood is surrounded by either arable or grassland which we cannot put a permanent pen on,  I like like the idea of mesh panels.