Bog Myrtle & Peat

I realise that it’s been some time since I mentioned the pheasants which I hatched off under a broody silkie in early July. Now that these birds are just over eleven weeks old, maybe it’s worth mentioning that they’re doing quite well. They went out to their pen about three weeks ago and the cocks are really starting to get some good colour. I had a run of dead birds from the original brood which I think were associated with worms and bacteria on wet ground, and I now know how important it is to give young birds sufficient space on fresh ground.

Still, the poults are doing well in their pen, and I have a feeling that they’re already starting to draw in wild birds, which is their main purpose. After all, the poults themselves are probably not going to be mature enough to shoot, even by the end of the season, but nothing draws in the wild birds like a release pen full of food, water and other pheasants, particularly after the first few frosts have burnt the goodness out of the local plant life.

I must say that while I don’t really like pheasants, I do have some sympathy for my birds. There is a certain attitude to them which I put down to their having been reared under a hen, and in terms of spirit and general keenness, they are much more interesting than game farm reared birds. I watched them hunting blue bottles yesterday morning, showing far more gumption than any artificially reared birds that I’ve ever come across.

Given the nature of the relationship between pheasants and black grouse, I won’t ever be looking to turn the Chayne into a pheasant shoot, but a background population of semi-wild birds wouldn’t do much harm, I’m sure. The best way of bringing on a wild population of pheasants is to carry on with and expand my broodie hen rearing regime, and I’m looking forward to next spring with some enthusiasm.