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our pheasant/duck rearing pen


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me and my neighbour put this pen up a few weeks ago on his land

it measures 100 ft x 80ft

we got 50 poults to rear for the local gun club and 25 mallard

of our own to release on the small river at the back of the house

this is the first time we have had ago at this and so far so good

havent lost anything yet the pen is situated in a small wooded

area with mature trees and a pond dug a while ago for the ducks

as we are new to this any advice would be most usefull

cheers bb

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Guest Ditch_Shitter

Good on ye, Billy! :good: Now That's what I Call making an effort! :clapper:

 

Obvious enough question from me, mate: Have ye blitzed the vermin there abouts? And I don't mean just the long bodies. Get a rat infestation there, the likes of which I whitnessed and we talked of elsewhere? Ye'll be feeding as much to the rodents as the birds and then they'll be helping themselves to what ever else comes their way. Either way, they'll become a proper f*cking nuisance and of course, as a 'food' animal, will draw in the bigger stuff themselves like a magnet.

 

Anyway; I'm impressed, mate! Good on ye for having a go. Hope ye reap some good returns for ye efforts and costs so far.

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Sounds like a decent enough size for the birds you have in it. Like mentioned above though it appears as if it could do with a bit more ground cover, once the birds are out you can try to plant a good number of bramble suckers.

 

Also make sure all the bits are out before you release them.

 

I'm getting something a bit different for my pen tomorrow, 10 american wild turkey poults!! They supposedly fly well and hold well. The pheasants arrive next week.

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Guest little_lloyd

Smart little pen that :thumbs::toast:

 

mudman

 

:laugh: I was reading shooting times sometime last week and they mentioned Guinea Fowl bieng realeased to scare away the C :hmm: Charlies :laugh:

 

Theres a farm by me that sells Guinea Fowl and im tempted to get a 2 maybe 3 for my realease pen :haha:

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Guest Ditch_Shitter

Lloyd; Mr Pinker Snr. had some Guinea Fowl inside his fox proof fence, round the laying pens.

 

I'm not honestly sure what he put them there for. But I do remember they all got over that seven foot fence within a week, spooked by our day to day comings and goings, and were never really seen or heard of again.

 

Despite that, I want to get some myself, once I've settled and prepared a place for them. I'll keep mine penned in what's to be my poultry enclosure. Like the chickens, I want them primarily for looking at. They do say however that they make highly voiciferous and alert Guard Fowl. Not sure about the fox thing though.

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Guest little_lloyd
Lloyd; Mr Pinker Snr. had some Guinea Fowl inside his fox proof fence, round the laying pens.

 

I'm not honestly sure what he put them there for. But I do remember they all got over that seven foot fence within a week, spooked by our day to day comings and goings, and were never really seen or heard of again.

 

Despite that, I want to get some myself, once I've settled and prepared a place for them. I'll keep mine penned in what's to be my poultry enclosure. Like the chickens, I want them primarily for looking at. They do say however that they make highly voiciferous and alert Guard Fowl. Not sure about the fox thing though.

 

Intresting ill have to get speaking to him B)

 

Even if they dont scare old Charlie thell still look nice strowling around the shoot :clapping: Oh and Billy bunter Just like ditchy said make sure you keep on top of pests and predators. Put some plastic bags and a few mirrors around to deter the buzzards and other Birds of Prey.

 

My pen has lots of cover brambles/holly/hawthorn etc and in some spots needs a fair bit more :yes: I would start putting a few Hazels,Brambles,Hawthorn,holly. Coppice the Hazel and it give the birds a bit of cover to hide in. By the looks of it theres not much natural perching spots so the hawthorn and all that should give them a perch.

 

In 2 or 3 sesasons where going to start to look at building a second pen in a small wood with but i need to get planting first :D My shoot has only one hundred and a bit acres but we tend only to use 60 acres of that.

 

Good luck mate and hope your Pheasants and Mallards supply a lot of sport and fresh game :thumbs:

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Smart little pen that :thumbs::toast:

 

mudman

 

:laugh: I was reading shooting times sometime last week and they mentioned Guinea Fowl bieng realeased to scare away the C :hmm: Charlies :laugh:

 

Theres a farm by me that sells Guinea Fowl and im tempted to get a 2 maybe 3 for my realease pen :haha:

New keeper this season at a shoot I go to, was having a word with him a few weeks back (clay day) and he was saying that hes relased 15 guinea fowl into his pens, reckons they make a big racket when theres intruders or something :hmm: Sounds abit old school but the guys been keeping for 30 years so must know his stuff :hmm:

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Lads, Charlie absolutely loves Guinea Fowl, they are no deterrent, I reared 12 this year for the shoot all penned in up with my chicken pens and the Charlie came in broad daylight dug under and took the lot. Never had that with chickens as they usually kill all and only take one or two. :hmm:

 

As DS said we have let them out at shoots and never to be seen again. :bye: The only thing we do with them on the shoots now is put a bounty on their heads to raise funds.

 

Absolutely lovely eating tho.

 

 

Cheers bob

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they dont deter fox's at all, as said above they are cracking alarm birds especially if ye have two legged vermin !

we had half a dozen on our local shoot and they lasted a few years, i have a mate who breeds them and eat them now andf again,one of the best birds i have tasted ! :thumbs:

 

they're not verry good at flying though !

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Well done Ricky for mentioning the flying bit they are lazy feckers and will fly up the nearest tree and sit there watching you.

 

I gather the ones you had there for a few years were well penned then as like i said earlier they dont last where they are loose.

 

 

Cheers bob

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to be honest bob they wernt really that well penned in, just in the release pen !

that paricular pen however in pretty isolated its on the middle of a moore so they dont really have anywhere to go !

 

it is however advisable to wing clip them and have a net over the relaese pen when they are first entered and we always walk in any escapee's every morning and before roost aswell

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Guest little_lloyd

If i kept any of the shoot they would just be like the poults free to roam and one or two allowed to be shot :D But obvisly more fox controll would be needed.

 

As your drivng from my house and past PP game farm you sometimes see them running across the road from the paddocks towards the far house, We where on are way to a minkhound meet once and nearly bought 4 home for tea :laugh:

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