The Unintended Keeper ( Diary of a keeping blagger )

[shovel leaner 7,650]

16 minutes ago, Stavross said:

When I spoke to him he said they are 7 weeks, they do all theirs on a 7 week cycle, we got the very last of them, they look really well, as they always do from him, since they went in on Thursday they had 2 dry/warm nights, tonight it has shot it down for a couple of hours 

Are any getting up to roost yet . I always slept a bit easier when they get off the floor . 

[Stavross 15,350]

Just now, shovel leaner said:

Are any getting up to roost yet . I always slept a bit easier when they get off the floor . 

Yeah, I couldn’t believe how many were in the trees on the first night and how high they were

[shovel leaner 7,650]

Just now, Stavross said:

Yeah, I couldn’t believe how many were in the trees on the first night and how high they were

I suppose that’s one of the upsides of not having them clipped

[Stavross 15,350]

2 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I suppose that’s one of the upsides of not having them clipped

Yeah, would be nice to be able to keep them in the pens for a bit though, if I could be up there all the time clipping them would be ideal, there was one yesterday that got up and if it had of been November there would of been a fair bit of lead chucked at it

[Sausagedog 7,381]

Hopefully the wild ones have had a few broods. I usually get a few wild birds.

[shovel leaner 7,650]

14 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

Hopefully the wild ones have had a few broods. I usually get a few wild birds.

I always used to see a few about after harvest . They were always smaller and tightly feathered. Without the high protein diet that the reared poults were on their development was a lot slower, I’m honestly not sure how  many , if any ended up in the bag on shoot days . 

[Sausagedog 7,381]

31 minutes ago, shovel leaner said:

I always used to see a few about after harvest . They were always smaller and tightly feathered. Without the high protein diet that the reared poults were on their development was a lot slower, I’m honestly not sure how  many , if any ended up in the bag on shoot days . 

Every little helps....

[Stavross 15,350]

Well, I was back there at sparrow fart today as the birds at Gordon’s pen are giving me sleepless nights, I had visions of getting to the pen and it been empty, but when I got there I was surprised how many were actually in the pen, I put 300 in this one and I’d of said there was easily over 200 in the pen and a good number around it in the brambles, so hopefully they know now where they live, the birds in general look really well, I’ve had one dead in the pen and  a idiot that got itself stuck in the top of the fence, so them two have become fox bait over the far side, I’m starting to get a few of next doors coming into the bottom of the field at the back of the farm, so they are welcome to stay and maybe take up residence in the oak wood drive so I’m feeling a bit better now everything seems to have settled down a bit and if all else fails I’ve started the first batch of the shoots bramble gin, so a few French bramble 75’s in them and they won’t be bothered about the shooting

[BenBhoy 4,706]

Love the 2nd pic 

[Stavross 15,350]

17 minutes ago, BenBhoy said:

Love the 2nd pic 

That’s walking up the bank towards the piggeries, it was a lovely morning with a bit of an autumnal feel to it

 

P.S. I like the 4th picture

Edited September 5, 2022 by Stavross

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

Lots of rain forecast this week Stav , bloody typical seeing  as I'm off

But I will just plan around the weather accordingly.....

 

 

[Stavross 15,350]

17 minutes ago, FOXHUNTER said:

Lots of rain forecast this week Stav , bloody typical seeing  as I'm off

But I will just plan around the weather accordingly.....

 

 

You’ll be ok, you won’t melt

its forecast all week but looking at it it looks a bit hit and miss with heavy thundery showers 

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

1 hour ago, Stavross said:

You’ll be ok, you won’t melt

its forecast all week but looking at it it looks a bit hit and miss with heavy thundery showers 

Yep I will be shower dodging I suspect....at least  it might put some water in the duck ponds.

[Stavross 15,350]

Well it looks like I spoke to soon, these birds in Gordon’s pen are doing my head in, they are wandering around all over, luckily there’s enough still in the pen to pull the others back at the minute but even them seem very flighty and a few have started arse pecking, a complete contrast to the forestry pen where they just seem happy, the 5 frigging buzzards that were flying around Gordon’s pen aren’t helping ether I’m getting a bit tired now, like most on here I’m a hobby shooter, most of the time making my own mind up when and where I go,  normally going out 3 or 4 times a week, in the past 9 days I’ve been there every day, now it’s turned into going up early morning, doing a full days graft and then back up on a night, it’s got to the point now that I just want a day off, I’ve had 3 foxes, 2 cubs from the oak wood that came from next door, I left them where next doors keeper would see them so he knows I know he’s not doing his job properly and another that came from next door near the caravan park, I don’t even know what make that was because I couldn’t be arsed to go and get it, I could see it was dead through the thermal and that was good enough for me, I can’t wait until I’m feeding the flying chickens in the drives

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

5 minutes ago, Stavross said:

I don’t even know what make that was because I couldn’t be arsed to go and get it, I could see it was dead through the thermal and that was good enough for me, 

That's bad if you couldnt be arsed to pick it , doesnt feel like I've got it to me if I dont pick it. I've crossed rivers before to pick foxes on the other side.