chickens

[comanche 3,109]

Chickens loose on a pheasant shoot will act like a magnet for foxes . If you must do it get some lightweight bantams (preferably mongrel ,ie cheap ones )as these will roost properly and have a better survival rate . We had a few old bantam cocks appear in a pen once -dumped by some cheeky local we suspect .A coulpe actually were shot over the guns but the others simply "went". The pheasant /bantam crosses I bred as an experiment however lasted several years and went truly wild .

Beware of two issues though .

It is illegal to abandon a domestic animal so any hens you release must be fed and have their welfare attended to as "free range" rather than "wild" birds.

 

Also ,care must be taken when mixing poultry and game as game birds tend to have less resistance to poultry diseases than hens . It would be awfull to have a good release pen spoiled by a disease burden for the sake of a few bantams .

[yorksjt 0]

Never heard of pheasant /bantam crosses before, have you any pictures of what they look like?

[bobafet 30]

Chickens loose on a pheasant shoot will act like a magnet for foxes . If you must do it get some lightweight bantams (preferably mongrel ,ie cheap ones )as these will roost properly and have a better survival rate . We had a few old bantam cocks appear in a pen once -dumped by some cheeky local we suspect .A coulpe actually were shot over the guns but the others simply "went". The pheasant /bantam crosses I bred as an experiment however lasted several years and went truly wild .

Beware of two issues though .

It is illegal to abandon a domestic animal so any hens you release must be fed and have their welfare attended to as "free range" rather than "wild" birds.

 

Also ,care must be taken when mixing poultry and game as game birds tend to have less resistance to poultry diseases than hens . It would be awfull to have a good release pen spoiled by a disease burden for the sake of a few bantams .

[

thanks for the advice comanche but they are down now, maybe im going to learn the hard way.I will keep my eye out for those foxes mate..

[comanche 3,109]

Bobafet .Hi mate .I'm a miserable old git . Did'nt mean to put a downer on your fun .I wish you all the best !

 

And Yorksit I'm sure I have a picture of the Phantoms (pheasant /bantam crosses) but it might take a bit of finding as it was 20 years ago . Basicly they looked like long-legged speckly ,ginger things with obvious features of both parents .I doubt they would've been fertile and I don't recall any noticable sex differences. All I did was pop a couple of ginger bantams into a 10x6 breeding pen along with a cock pheasant and his pheasant wives . With Spring in the air he obviously was'nt too fussy who he trod . I do recall that the eggs hatched at about 21/22 days which is longer than most small bantams but less than the 24 days that a pheasant chick takes to hatch. The chicks were much more advanced and alert than either bantam or pheasant chicks from the word go. They went totally wild ,very shy and very quick on their feet . A a neighbouring Keeper Shoot one out of a tree three years after I'd released them .

So there's my guilty secret .Who am I advise Bobafet against releasing chickens!!!!

[bobafet 30]

Bobafet .Hi mate .I'm a miserable old git . Did'nt mean to put a downer on your fun .I wish you all the best !

 

And Yorksit I'm sure I have a picture of the Phantoms (pheasant /bantam crosses) but it might take a bit of finding as it was 20 years ago . Basicly they looked like long-legged speckly ,ginger things with obvious features of both parents .I doubt they would've been fertile and I don't recall any noticable sex differences. All I did was pop a couple of ginger bantams into a 10x6 breeding pen along with a cock pheasant and his pheasant wives . With Spring in the air he obviously was'nt too fussy who he trod . I do recall that the eggs hatched at about 21/22 days which is longer than most small bantams but less than the 24 days that a pheasant chick takes to hatch. The chicks were much more advanced and alert than either bantam or pheasant chicks from the word go. They went totally wild ,very shy and very quick on their feet . A a neighbouring Keeper Shoot one out of a tree three years after I'd released them .

So there's my guilty secret .Who am I advise Bobafet against releasing chickens!!!!

Thanks mate i must admit when i read your post i was gutted but i did want advice and thats what you gave me even if it wasnt what i wanted to hear, i am new to this game and want to learn all i can all the best Bobafet

[steviebhoy 0]

Bobafet .Hi mate .I'm a miserable old git . Did'nt mean to put a downer on your fun .I wish you all the best !

 

And Yorksit I'm sure I have a picture of the Phantoms (pheasant /bantam crosses) but it might take a bit of finding as it was 20 years ago . Basicly they looked like long-legged speckly ,ginger things with obvious features of both parents .I doubt they would've been fertile and I don't recall any noticable sex differences. All I did was pop a couple of ginger bantams into a 10x6 breeding pen along with a cock pheasant and his pheasant wives . With Spring in the air he obviously was'nt too fussy who he trod . I do recall that the eggs hatched at about 21/22 days which is longer than most small bantams but less than the 24 days that a pheasant chick takes to hatch. The chicks were much more advanced and alert than either bantam or pheasant chicks from the word go. They went totally wild ,very shy and very quick on their feet . A a neighbouring Keeper Shoot one out of a tree three years after I'd released them .

So there's my guilty secret .Who am I advise Bobafet against releasing chickens!!!!

Thanks mate i must admit when i read your post i was gutted but i did want advice and thats what you gave me even if it wasnt what i wanted to hear, i am new to this game and want to learn all i can all the best Bobafet

Dont panic Bobafet you are doing the right thing. If you buy good pheasant poults and look after them mate then you wont have any bother, after all we are only talking a few hens/cockrels and not mass numbers here. As for the 'magnet' to foxes i would have to disagree because old charlie boy will find your birds in the 1st or 2nd night with or without your hens/cockrels.

You have the right bird in the Guinea fowl to let the rest of the pen know thats theres something not right.

Hope all goes well in the end

[bobafet 30]

Bobafet .Hi mate .I'm a miserable old git . Did'nt mean to put a downer on your fun .I wish you all the best !

 

And Yorksit I'm sure I have a picture of the Phantoms (pheasant /bantam crosses) but it might take a bit of finding as it was 20 years ago . Basicly they looked like long-legged speckly ,ginger things with obvious features of both parents .I doubt they would've been fertile and I don't recall any noticable sex differences. All I did was pop a couple of ginger bantams into a 10x6 breeding pen along with a cock pheasant and his pheasant wives . With Spring in the air he obviously was'nt too fussy who he trod . I do recall that the eggs hatched at about 21/22 days which is longer than most small bantams but less than the 24 days that a pheasant chick takes to hatch. The chicks were much more advanced and alert than either bantam or pheasant chicks from the word go. They went totally wild ,very shy and very quick on their feet . A a neighbouring Keeper Shoot one out of a tree three years after I'd released them .

So there's my guilty secret .Who am I advise Bobafet against releasing chickens!!!!

Thanks mate i must admit when i read your post i was gutted but i did want advice and thats what you gave me even if it wasnt what i wanted to hear, i am new to this game and want to learn all i can all the best Bobafet

Dont panic Bobafet you are doing the right thing. If you buy good pheasant poults and look after them mate then you wont have any bother, after all we are only talking a few hens/cockrels and not mass numbers here. As for the 'magnet' to foxes i would have to disagree because old charlie boy will find your birds in the 1st or 2nd night with or without your hens/cockrels.

You have the right bird in the Guinea fowl to let the rest of the pen know thats theres something not right.

Hope all goes well in the end

cheers mate..

[desertdog 149]

well bob me old pal, me old booty, theres been some good advice there, im hoping them eggs will come off and you,ll have some more, might be good to get some more gleanies,so old charlie boy dont get an easy dinner,maybe a trip to market?, i can remember my old mate mr woodcock from newmarket rearing birds under banties and they flew well, its time consuming but satisfying, and as for charlie boy himself well, his mate has already met his match with the cambrige flyers, i dont think it,ll be much of a problem, and look out when the tipperary bunch are ready, all the best ,desertdog.

[bobafet 30]

well bob me old pal, me old booty, theres been some good advice there, im hoping them eggs will come off and you,ll have some more, might be good to get some more gleanies,so old charlie boy dont get an easy dinner,maybe a trip to market?, i can remember my old mate mr woodcock from newmarket rearing birds under banties and they flew well, its time consuming but satisfying, and as for charlie boy himself well, his mate has already met his match with the cambrige flyers, i dont think it,ll be much of a problem, and look out when the tipperary bunch are ready, all the best ,desertdog.

thanks desertdog whats the score on the board at the minute hunt 0 guns 0 lurchers 1

we will have another look this week mate, looking foreward to seeing the tipperary team come on dont think were going to have any problems with them two mate all the best bobafet...

[desertdog 149]

indeed went for a look today, longlegs and and mandog rattled him and the little bird from south tipp went very strange, hunted him up the ditch for a while, but its still one nil at the moment.

[bobafet 30]

bin in the snow today and know theres more than one about lets get it sortetd ... :)

[desertdog 149]

bin in the snow today and know theres more than one about lets get it sortetd ... :)

readywhen you are, we,ll plot and scheme till we get im then,

[Crow_Killer 0]

There is some good information there lads will bare that in mind