rats

[shotgun..willy 8]

over the past few weeks iv noticed my birds geting thinner and thinner in the cover then i realised how many rats there are would rats in large numbers keep my birds from there fedd making them move on??

[alimac 882]

over the past few weeks iv noticed my birds geting thinner and thinner in the cover then i realised how many rats there are would rats in large numbers keep my birds from there fedd making them move on??

 

in simple terms , no, rats feed mainly at night, birds do so in the day light hours.. its more likely down to the loss of naturall food due to the time of year and a little down to the stress of the shooting season being in full swing..

[shotgun..willy 8]

just a though i wouldn say it was the shooting we havent done that drive yet

[alimac 882]

just a though i wouldn say it was the shooting we havent done that drive yet

that may be the case, was just throwing ideas into the pot.... you feeding them still ?? lol

[shotgun..willy 8]

lol yeah plenty of grub we are shooting it this saturday so will see how many birds are in there

[alimac 882]

totally miss under stood, i thought thin as in weight , you mean thin on the ground.... pound to a penny its a fox on its nightly rounds at night and or a bop doing its through the day, they wont hang about long if there getting pestered.....

[Rolfe 2]

Wouldn't think rats are the problem........unless they are eating all the feed before the birds get a look in. Partridges are notoriously difficult to hold in a particular area at the best of times........they may have just wandered off in search of another food outlet.

 

Rolfe.

[Jim Grant 4]

I have never know partridges come in to a feeder. In my experience they need natural feedstuffs. You can spread some grain on well eaten-out stubbles but every other graineater will be at it as well. If you are seeing rats then get in about them and sort them out. I should reckon that one rate equals one partridge in term of corn consumed.

 

I am only speaking about English Greys, we don't have red legs.

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

I have never know partridges come in to a feeder. In my experience they need natural feedstuffs. You can spread some grain on well eaten-out stubbles but every other graineater will be at it as well. If you are seeing rats then get in about them and sort them out. I should reckon that one rate equals one partridge in term of corn consumed.

 

I am only speaking about English Greys, we don't have red legs.

I spent the last 5 years as a hill keeper putting down 7 thousand partridge(red-legs) and 1000 pheasants.

 

Shotgun Willy, if you have a lot of rats living around the pens they will disturb the birds on a night and eventually they will not like to roost in or around the pens.

Edited December 15, 2008 by dogs-n-natives