Lloyd90 Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Hello all, I have y'day ordered 40 grey partridge eggs to go in the incubator (can't be deeling with those foreigners ). I am going to put them in a pen up my mates farm, his son is going to look after them before we release them on the farm. Should be a nice bit of fun for us to rear them on and then release, and as a bonus we might get the odd shot over my dog. Has anyone got any tips on incubating and looking after them once hatched? My mate and his son have done chickens before many times and recently quail that I bought us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Best tip is hatch them under a bantam there like bumblebees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted May 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 13 minutes ago, Old farrier said: Best tip is hatch them under a bantam there like bumblebees We don't have any just an incubator I'm afraid ... he did a good job with the quail so imagine they won't be far off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjaferret Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Fertility, needs to be good, temp and humidity, that's before you even think about getting them up. A lot harder to get going than quail. Oldfarrier is right, bantams all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted May 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 22 minutes ago, ninjaferret said: Fertility, needs to be good, temp and humidity, that's before you even think about getting them up. A lot harder to get going than quail. Oldfarrier is right, bantams all the way. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 22 hours ago, Lloyd90 said: Hello all, I have y'day ordered 40 grey partridge eggs to go in the incubator (can't be deeling with those foreigners ). I am going to put them in a pen up my mates farm, his son is going to look after them before we release them on the farm. Should be a nice bit of fun for us to rear them on and then release, and as a bonus we might get the odd shot over my dog. Has anyone got any tips on incubating and looking after them once hatched? My mate and his son have done chickens before many times and recently quail that I bought us. I hatched ebay Grey eggs with a decent amount of success. Kept them in a brooder under a heat lamp and dug them a square of turf up most days which they instinctively dusted in and they also went mad for ants and ant eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 3 hours ago, kennett said: I hatched ebay Grey eggs with a decent amount of success. Kept them in a brooder under a heat lamp and dug them a square of turf up most days which they instinctively dusted in and they also went mad for ants and ant eggs. Cheers, my mates got a bunch of chicken chicks under a brooder at the moment, he said its cheaper to run than a heat lamp, but they go under it and it's nice and warm. It's like a little plastic square on stilts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennett Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 I've just ordered one of the little plastic electric hens, heat lamp was ok but if you looked at it wrong the bulb would go 🙈 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted May 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 2 hours ago, kennett said: I've just ordered one of the little plastic electric hens, heat lamp was ok but if you looked at it wrong the bulb would go 🙈 The chicks certainly go under them so hopefully so will the partridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dipper Posted May 21, 2020 Report Share Posted May 21, 2020 I asked my mate a keeper about buying egg .He said as soon as you release them they will go.And you won’t be able to stop them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 15 hatched and under the electric hen so far. The rest still in the incubator, have been hatching out over the recent days. Will leave the rest in as one hatched out just an hour ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jall25 Posted June 15, 2020 Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 Brilliant ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted June 16, 2020 Report Share Posted June 16, 2020 Well done 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted June 16, 2020 Report Share Posted June 16, 2020 (edited) Brilliant and more grease to your elbow. I reared a lot of partridge under a home made brooder and they loved to get under it. Don't know if you can buy the heater wire now, but was simple to instal. As said, Greys have a mind of their own and will either stay or clear off never to be seen again, plus I am told that released Greys do not seem to become 'wild' and rear chicks the next year.... that i can't confirm, just hearsay. Keep the humidity up towards the breakout as well. Friend lost a lot recently because the shells had dried out and the chick couldn't get out. Edited June 16, 2020 by Walker570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted June 16, 2020 Report Share Posted June 16, 2020 Aye official Gwct advise on Grey's is the worst thing u can do if u have wild Grey's already is to release reared 1s. Just don't survive and breed very well and sometimes the wild 1s which were doing ok pair up with them. So breeding rates decrease more. I think Gwct were doing studies on both pheasant and partridge as to why reared birds are so poor at raising young. 1 theory is because always had food on tap in hoppers etc all there life they have no idea how to find high % protein food like bugs and beasties etc. Think they found tracked wild birds only need to feed for 30% of day while reared birds are feeding for 80% of day ( or something similar) so possibly of nests for too long or not in good enough condition before they sit. If u can find a broody to put them in with would give u birds far more likely to breed. When u see checks raised under Brodie's there chasing and digging up worms from a very young age after watching the mother. They experimented with feeding mealworms on like a tight drum type surface, so when they peck the surface it vibrates as if worms moving, gets birds used to eating moving bugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2020 There’s no wild ones in my mates area so be nice to have some about. How long do they need to stay inside before they can go out into a release pen? My mate has a big trough that he’s just reared a load of chickens in and they’re going out this weekend so can move them from their small enclosure into a slightly bigger one soon. We are up to 20 so far. I have haygates super starter crumbs for game birds for them (27% protein) and then haygates grower/ maintenance pellets game feeds - when do I move them off the crumbs to the grower / maintenance food? thanks lads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benthejockey Posted June 18, 2020 Report Share Posted June 18, 2020 Birds reared under bantams are always going to have the advantage over other captive reared birds. The hens know which eggs are good and which are bad, they chirp to the chicks when they start pipping, they know how to find wild food, they try and protect them from predators and they generally teach them how about bird life which can only filter down when it comes time for them to breed themselves. Whereas human reared birds only know that food comes from big blue barrels and that's about it. If I ever had a broody hen at the right time of year she'd definitely be the first choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd90 Posted June 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2020 On 18/06/2020 at 09:19, Benthejockey said: Birds reared under bantams are always going to have the advantage over other captive reared birds. The hens know which eggs are good and which are bad, they chirp to the chicks when they start pipping, they know how to find wild food, they try and protect them from predators and they generally teach them how about bird life which can only filter down when it comes time for them to breed themselves. Whereas human reared birds only know that food comes from big blue barrels and that's about it. If I ever had a broody hen at the right time of year she'd definitely be the first choice. Plan for the future but at present we make do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remimax Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) if you see em again after letting em go it will be a miracle Edited June 20, 2020 by Remimax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenBhoy Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 Good luck with it Lloyd, good on you. We have a pair on our farm but not seen chick's for last two years. I've been hitting fox & corvids hard for last few months trying to help. Will start feeding around September. If no chick's next year I'm going to try foster some bantam reared chick's onto the wild birds on autumn 2021 to form a covey. Beautiful birds & I think we should all be doing a bit to help them out. Another reason I choose to be a member of GWCT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 On 20/06/2020 at 17:26, Remimax said: if you see em again after letting em go it will be a miracle I performed a 'miracle' every year for around 10 years then ! I put down 200 greys every year and managed to hold them. I did foolishly accept 100 Redlegs one year and never saw them again though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClemFandango Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 The Euston method is far more successful in i creasing grey numbers but you already need to have them on the ground. The chicks need sawfly larvae in the wild in the first two weeks, the oxalic acid prevents in infection in their throat. It's unlikely that your partridges will hang about. You can increase the likelihood by making sure your habitat is grade A top notch. Good hedgerows, wildflower margins, beetle banks, predator control etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.