Partridge under Bantams

[Ben Bain]

I’m wanting to hatch some English Partridge under broody bantams this year, more for my young lad than anything but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve made a couple of A frame pens up. Has anyone found a certain breed of bantam is better than others? I was thinking 20 eggs under each bird. Any advice is welcome

Cheers
Ben

 

[Bo Diddley]

20 eggs are too many under a bantam. Silkies always used to be the preferred option, or Silkie crosses, older bantams are better sitters.
Good luck. A friend has gone down the same path last year, he has upped the numbers this year, he's hoping to turn out 200 English using bantams/hens.

 

[BenBhoy]

Silkies by far.

 

[crow killer]

silkies or silkie cross,

 

[nick.308]

silkie bantam cross are good but not essential. I think 20 eggs is possibly risking too many as they could turn out to hatch poorly. I would go 15 max. are you using the bantam to rear the chicks? If so then definitely no more than 15 or she wont be big enough to cover them as they grow.
Any quiet and friendly bantam suits. I used some wyandottes that worked well for bantam eggs.

 

[VSS]

Not a pure silkie, or the chicks will get tangled in her feathers. The best by far for what you want to do is silkies x OEG bantam.

(OEG = Old English Game).

 

[Smellydog]

My old keeper friend would be well impressed. Can't beat a bird reared by a bird. Well done

 

[Camdig]

Gold tops are the best broodies, Silkie bantams x light Sussex bantams.
Keep clutches to about a dozen eggs make sure you can access the nest box without spooking the hen off the nest.

 

[shakey jake]

If you dont have the bantams might this year be getting a bit late?

 

[wanderer]

Just dabbling with quail at the moment and getting some eggs today.
The majority will go in my DIY incubator but someone has a broody hen so it will be an interesting experiment to try a few with that root.
Obviously not for release..

 

[BenBhoy]

in my DIY incubator

How's that work then?

 

[Maran14]

If you've no luck this year, I’m happy to send you some of my bantam eggs for a late hatch.
They’re a farmyard mix, but excellent at sitting and rearing.
Likely ready to sit next year.

Much like others have said, you can’t beat a bird rearing a bird, HOWEVER… if you go down the incubator route, I highly recommend Brinsea.

 

[wanderer]

How's that work then?

A big plastic tote box. £4
Egg turning / egg holders from ebay <£20
Temperature control module, ebay £5
Light bulbs or reptile heat bulbs ( could be free if you have old 60/100w bulbs kicking about)
A water vessel(s) to control the humidity ( free)

Set the temperature controller to 37.5C, place eggs in, wait a fortnight, remove eggs from turners, place in baskets and back in incubator.
Add more surface area of water to increase humidity.
Wait for the hatch to complete.

The temperature controller switches the bulbs on/ off to keep the temperature at the correct level.
A computer type fan helps as well to equalise the temperature so as not to get hot/cold spots.

This in simplistic terms.

 

[Goingback]

Indian game are a very good breed for partridge as well as silkies. Quite amazing as their legs are like tree trunks but they have a very strong mothering instinct.

 

[Ratel]

If you're thinking of 20 eggs per bird full size English game if you can find them. Banties are OK for 12 eggs. The one thing you really have to do is make sure the bird is fully broody. When I did it (50 coops, runs attached later), we used a mixture of barnyard hens brought in and our own ( well the head keepers) English game. We set 21 eggs under each with the hope of 19 Grey poults released, it worked with that tally 950 to 980 birds. Predator control was complete at ground level and 90 per cent avian.
An exceptional result you may say, but the wife had a secret stash out of view at a friend's house.

 

[Goingback]

A good broody is worth it's weight in gold

 

[Bo Diddley]

A good broody is worth it's weight in gold

Not literally... have you seen the price of gold recently

 

[BenBhoy]

Worth it's weight in Lego...

 

[Bo Diddley]

Worth it's weight in Lego...

Yeah, still not too sure about that one

 

[willowbank]

I’m wanting to hatch some English Partridge under broody bantams this year, more for my young lad than anything but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve made a couple of A frame pens up. Has anyone found a certain breed of bantam is better than others? I was thinking 20 eggs under each bird. Any advice is welcome

Cheers
Ben

Loving this.... something I did in my early 20,s (using Pekins) hugely satisfying and much appreciated by the landowner who had made improvements to accommodate English partridge (smaller fields... manors, more hedgerow etc)

Do all you can to release even one covey, so spectacular compared with the Redlegs.

Let us know how it goes....

Willowbank