Hope for the rest of the game season?

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Rhodesianjess said:
Need 2000 for us, looking to do a deal with gamefarmer near us, might be worth looking into for yourself. Your right, shouldn't be too difficult coz of this virus hoohaa!
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I wonder will.many game farms continue this spring as they have in the past im sure a lot will be very catious about hatching and rearing a lot of poults for the forth coming season after the disaster this year has delivered
 
landkeeper said:
I wonder will.many game farms continue this spring as they have in the past im sure a lot will be very catious about hatching and rearing a lot of poults for the forth coming season after the disaster this year has delivered
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The gamefarmer near me wouldn't hatch/rear this season unless people paid for their birds in full when they ordered from him. Cute bugger, he only reared exactly what he could sell!
Deal I have had with him, with the boss's consent, is to swap hens for day olds or poults on a pro rata basis. Suits both of us. Often thought smaller shoots could do the same. Getting 3 poults of 6/7 weeks for a hen that won't produce any shootable birds next season due to lack of predator control has got to be a win/win situation.
 
The fourth Horseman said:
Unfortunately I feel these sort of places would be the death knell for driven shooting anyway. I too have pals that are involved in that amount but it's not good for us at all.
Having worked for private shoots most of the time, we occasionally let the odd days to friends of the boss, but generally all guests.
Sorry to have to say it but I'm glad these places are collapsing but sorry in one way for the "keepers" involved. They will however (or should have) saved a good few Bob from tips if shooting 40+ days unlike lads shooting say 15 days for a syndicate.
If you are looking for 2000 layers you must have a hell of a programme yourself, that's a lot of hatching and big numbers.
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I rear for the estate where I live/work and also for the boss Gloucestershire estate. Reckon to set up to 70k eggs,rear and then deliver the other estate share. Keeper in Gloucestershire not good at incubation/rearing so I do it. Mind you, I am on better wicket than him, the boss isn't daft.
 
local keeper was out yesterday with a couple of his dogs working the cover crops and watched him drop a few cock birds but he left the hens alone ,he has a few shoot days left but must have called them off .we are in tier 4
 
Rhodesianjess said:
The gamefarmer near me wouldn't hatch/rear this season unless people paid for their birds in full when they ordered from him. Cute bugger, he only reared exactly what he could sell!
Deal I have had with him, with the boss's consent, is to swap hens for day olds or poults on a pro rata basis. Suits both of us. Often thought smaller shoots could do the same. Getting 3 poults of 6/7 weeks for a hen that won't produce any shootable birds next season due to lack of predator control has got to be a win/win situation.
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Thats a good workable situation , whats the going rate for a caught up hen bird these days / last year , id say the supply will outstrip demand
Lead free birds might be a saleable commodity 😎
 
landkeeper said:
Thats a good workable situation , whats the going rate for a caught up hen bird these days / last year , id say the supply will outstrip demand
Lead free birds might be a saleable commodity 😎
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I get 3 poults or 5 day olds, generally take them in partridge. Save me messing about with different inserts, different days tying up hatcher and means that it's all one system geared to pheasants. Took a year or two to get it sorted but works for me here.
 
Rhodesianjess said:
I get 3 poults or 5 day olds, generally take them in partridge. Save me messing about with different inserts, different days tying up hatcher and means that it's all one system geared to pheasants. Took a year or two to get it sorted but works for me here.
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I would think you daft if you took the day olds.
Can be awkward mixing Pheasants and partridge, better to have two setters and two Hatcher's if you have space. Sounds interesting to hear of a keeper not good at incubating or rearing, he's a bird feeder and driver, certainly not a Gamekeeper. I wish you luck with catching up, should be good if it stays cold. I well remember the joys of hatching and rearing 30,000 and I am so glad ours is an all wild bird place.
 
The fourth Horseman said:
I would think you daft if you took the day olds.
Can be awkward mixing Pheasants and partridge, better to have two setters and two Hatcher's if you have space. Sounds interesting to hear of a keeper not good at incubating or rearing, he's a bird feeder and driver, certainly not a Gamekeeper. I wish you luck with catching up, should be good if it stays cold. I well remember the joys of hatching and rearing 30,000 and I am so glad ours is an all wild bird place.
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He gets to work at character building jobs between February and July! He also handfeeds now,my suggestion,keeps him busy so he he can't slope off to other places during the season.
Your right, the joys of rearing are under estimated 🤣
 
A mates out picking up tomorrow on a commercial shoot

Must admit I can see it being a very strange year for shoots but esp game farmers as they have to make these decision so much earlier.
if I was a game farmer I would be wanting full money up front too.
Can see there being masses of hens being caught up this year, probably too many for the game farms we have left.

1 thing which could play in UK's game farms is Brexit, mibbee cut down on the massive number off imported eggs and chicks.
If anything this virus might encourage shoots to buy birds far more locally anyway which must be a good thing.
Anyone heard if Brexit is changing way birds reared?
 
Forgot to ask.
Wot's the score with bird flu and moving birds and the laying pens??

Do game farms need to have all birds under cover as classed as domestic once in a fully roof netted pen?
 
countrryboy said:
A mates out picking up tomorrow on a commercial shoot

Must admit I can see it being a very strange year for shoots but esp game farmers as they have to make these decision so much earlier.
if I was a game farmer I would be wanting full money up front too.
Can see there being masses of hens being caught up this year, probably too many for the game farms we have left.

1 thing which could play in UK's game farms is Brexit, mibbee cut down on the massive number off imported eggs and chicks.
If anything this virus might encourage shoots to buy birds far more locally anyway which must be a good thing.
Anyone heard if Brexit is changing way birds reared?
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But you've got to remember for every shoot that rolled the dice this year there were probably 2 that didn't, so hens numbers will be the same as previous years I'm guessing
 
Gamekeeperwill said:
But you've got to remember for every shoot that rolled the dice this year there were probably 2 that didn't, so hens numbers will be the same as previous years I'm guessing
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I know locally most shoots rolled the dice and hardly touched the pheasants at all. A serious amount kicking about
I realise times are hard but shame the lock downs never came in even 2 weeks later a few shoots could of thinned them out a bit and got food bill down.
Be a lot a extra hens locally
 
I guess we've got to look at the bigger picture. Hospitality all over has really been hit hard. Hotels, restaurants, holiday companies, bus tour businesses and so on going bust and the knock-on effects of those that supply and support those industries. I'm gutted for all those people that have lost their jobs. There won't be much to replace them. The only hope for the likes of employed gamekeepers is to keep in touch with your previous employers and if things improve later this year, they will again be taking on staff I'd guess.

For me, I've just lost some shooting days, obviously paid for and no comeback which is not good. But that simply doesn't compare with losing your job and potentially your home too.

They will review the tiers after a fortnight, but as has already been said, I think there's unlikely to be any easing, most likely the opposite from now on until the injections start to have any real effect.
 
Over for me the boss and son are shooting a few I’m not bothered shooting my own birds really .
I’m afraid the days of big bags be getting scarcer with Covid sending many to the wall those that can afford it have no market for the 100’s/1000’s they shoot a week , thankfully My meagre 100 bird days I have no problem shifting what we shoot .
still feeding obviously and tidying up I usually do in feb thankful it’s not my main income and my eggs are not all in one basket 🧺
 
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