Feeding Over Straw

[man o kent 269]

Anyone still scatter feed over loose straw? An old boy swore it used to keep the birds from straying too much

[man o kent 269]

I think I have posted in the wrong section sorry

[wilbur foxhound 480]

yes all the time and it works for me,wf

[skinner 348]

when I was a keeper I used to roll out the big round bales in woods and cover crops cant beat it for holding birds

[Lab 10,979]

Great for keeping them around. Spend time scratching for wheat and not wandering away.

[comanche 3,087]

Its good for holding birds as they can amuse themselves for a long time scratching in the straw for corn. A good long straw ride with food spread along it means there is plenty of space for a lot of birds to feed at once without the competition that can occur around a hopper.

It also gives the Keeper a chance to count the birds accurately as normally they don't mind being watched by a familiar face and will often be waiting for him to arrive with his corn-bucket.

Done in the traditional manner the Keeper gives a morning and afternoon feed and whistles to let the birds know he is on the rounds.Today they're just as likely to be responding to the noise of a quad:)

The downside is that to do it properly requires daily commitment but a few patches or strips of straw fed occasionally will add another holding feature to Shoots that rely on hopper feeding.

The straw should be scattered lightly and on dry ground and look fluffy. A great thick mat that soaks up the moisture and rots into a sludgy carpet will only harbour disease.

[man o kent 269]

Interesting thankyou gents. My local shoot only uses feeders/hoppers and have had big problems with wandering birds, esp last season. This has to be a major factor, as I think they were only checking/topping up feeders once or maybe twice s week