How did yours go ....

blackstairsboy

Well lads just wondering for those of you who rear birds how did the rearing go this year for you?
My first year at it and I have had mixed results. I had planned on putting eggs under the bantams but because I missed the boat a bit and found it difficult to source eggs when I had a bantam brooding I ended up with all the eggs in the incubator. Out of my 50 eggs I have succeeded in getting only 12 to the pen. An incubator going on the blink, an unknown disease and a pheasant eating sheepdog have caused the casualties. I have enjoyed my first year at it and am already planning for next year. Any tips and advice is greatly appreciated.

cavan shooter

I have 40 poults well on in a pen feeding them wheat, will start getting them out over the next couple of weeks;)

The Big Fella

Im going to build a release pen this week on my land. Thinking of buying 10 birds for my own shooting. Have never done this before, How long should I keep the birds before release lads?:D thanks.

cavan shooter

I bought mine 8 week old in June and will start letting some out any time now. Will hold some till after Christmas and some for end of season. Make sure your ontop of the foxes and have feeders out:)

The Big Fella

The mink are rampant round my place cavan shooter.:D Ive the traps set.;)

rambo87

500 poults split accross 2 pens... its been a full time job!! Lost 8 from one pen (fox id say) and 3 from another (fox, two died naturally). Excellent birds supplied to us by Drumcondrath... Theyve been wandering like crazy the last 2 weeks tho... going on "walks" during the day!! Id say we could have lost a few more to foxes in the grain but overall very happy!

blackstairsboy

Your not doing bad at all if you only lost 11 all together. What age did you get the birds at and what sort of money if you don't mind me asking?

rambo87

6 weeks old and e4.50 each.... The cocks are black lads.. He threw in 6 Reeves Pheasants aswell. We're happy even though we wanted the birds for e4.25! best poults we've ever bought but that probably is because they didnt have far to travel... long journeys without water arent good for them, last year we ordered them from Donegal and lost a lot!
Its 11 minimum we've been more down on some of our counts but cannot tell If the missing birds are dead or just gone walkabout... there are flocks of them that go missing every day and come back.. probably a few more lost to charlie..waiting for grain to be cut to kill the foxes!

lb1981

rambo87 wrote: »

6 weeks old and e4.50 each.... The cocks are black lads.. He threw in 6 Reeves Pheasants aswell. We're happy even though we wanted the birds for e4.25! best poults we've ever bought but that probably is because they didnt have far to travel... long journeys without water arent good for them, last year we ordered them from Donegal and lost a lot!
Its 11 minimum we've been more down on some of our counts but cannot tell If the missing birds are dead or just gone walkabout... there are flocks of them that go missing every day and come back.. probably a few more lost to charlie..waiting for grain to be cut to kill the foxes!

That is a very good price,how much are they charging for the grey squirrels:D i must give them lads a ring next year though the ones we got this year from balivor are turning into monsters ,we have only lost 1 and 1 partridge so not bad going.The auto drinkers straight from a storage tank are a god send and the wright feeders save a lot of food getting wasted.