new arrivals

[CHEVINFOX 3,537]

this years new stock 12,500 day olds

12 pens aside

[CHEVINFOX 3,537]

outside runs

 

[Stavross 16,031]

That’s a proper set up we buy ours in on our shoot, straight into the pens but we have a young lad on the shoot that hatches a few wildies in his garden, last year he managed about 50ish so we banded them and if you shot one you had to give him 5 quid, he was the richest man on the shoot on a couple of occasions, I’m going to show him this and tell him to ask his dad to sort him some space in one of the poultry sheds, he’ll torture the poor old fella

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Cracking looking set up that. What's your mortality rate like from day old to release pen? 

I've managed to get onto a very small DIY syndicate. I'm green as but (annoyingly!) keen, so I'll be a regular onto this side of forum. Cheers. 

[Daniel cain 45,982]

that's some set up

[CHEVINFOX 3,537]

12 hours ago, Stavross said:

That’s a proper set up we buy ours in on our shoot, straight into the pens but we have a young lad on the shoot that hatches a few wildies in his garden, last year he managed about 50ish so we banded them and if you shot one you had to give him 5 quid, he was the richest man on the shoot on a couple of occasions, I’m going to show him this and tell him to ask his dad to sort him some space in one of the poultry sheds, he’ll torture the poor old fella

that's the sort of youngster you want on a shoot , i once hatched some in a old wardrobe in the cellar

[CHEVINFOX 3,537]

10 hours ago, BenBhoy said:

Cracking looking set up that. What's your mortality rate like from day old to release pen? 

I've managed to get onto a very small DIY syndicate. I'm green as but (annoyingly!) keen, so I'll be a regular onto this side of forum. Cheers. 

round about 1to 2%, think you get 2% of the hatchery for losses

[shovel leaner 7,650]

There has been some serious investment in that set up . Have you guys signed up to the BGA ?

 

[CHEVINFOX 3,537]

20 hours ago, shovel leaner said:

There has been some serious investment in that set up . Have you guys signed up to the BGA ?

 

no, the boss has more money than you can shake a stick at

[shovel leaner 7,650]

2 minutes ago, CHEVINFOX said:

no, the boss has more money than you can shake a stick at

I thought it was something like that . It would take years to make a set up like that viable for 12.5 thousand birds . Bosses like that are out there . It’s a good way for some bosses to lose money instead of giving it to  HMRC .

[shovel leaner 7,650]

We had the first birds arrive on Tuesday, I didn’t take any photos or do a write up . But I took some today . The birds I got today are 6 weeks old they are common ring necks from overwintered hens . They all look good so far and well feathered . It’s been quiet around the first pen so far , but I don’t like to speak too soon . I’m on watch tonight as I’m sure there is a fox about  , by this pen . The first birds I put to wood have settled in well and they have spread out well with no bunching up on the wire and a lot are getting up to roost on low branches. I get my birds clipped, I think it helps . Anyway, all looks good so far , I will keep you all posted on their progress. 

[shovel leaner 7,650]

[Stavross 16,031]

I love it when the birds go in, now the hard work begins, fingers crossed for some good weather so they settle in well

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Got a few fine days forecast , rain coming Wednesday/Thursday maybe. The cover crops could do with a soaking , they are looking dry now . I always find it a bit nerve wracking putting the birds to wood , is there something nasty in the pen we missed when we ran the mutts through ? Am I going to have cubs spooking them over the fence and nabbing them ? Are Buzzards going to play havoc with them ? Is the weather going to change for the worse ? You name it , I worry about it ! But I wouldn’t want to do anything else , I must be mad !

[Stavross 16,031]

You can only do your best but when it comes down to it some luck is always needed, I’ve sat out 3 nights in a row in the past on fox patrol, never seeing one and then when I’ve been feeding up one has ran along the pen fence, hopefully when ours go in in about 4 weeks it will run as smoothly as last season