Pheasants
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Partridge Pen
The partridges have now been up on the hill for ten days, and they seem to be doing remarkably well in spite of the weather. They look smarter with every passing day, and they are starting to get orange faces to go with their red stripy sides. One of them has somehow managed to escape Continue reading
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The Homecoming
There was a stressful start this morning when I moved half my grey partridges up onto the Chayne. I’m keeping half back to see if I can breed from them next year, so I didn’t have many to put out in the 12′ x 8′ pen. My transport system worked very well, and it took Continue reading
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Hen Grown
It’s been a month since my silkie x sussex bantam had her dramatic hatch of pheasant chicks. Of the thirteen eggs she sat on, nine hatched. She killed two on their first night, leaving me with seven. Over the past four weeks, one died when it got stuck under a tussock of grass which she Continue reading
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Partridge Poults at 9 Weeks
Despite ongoing miserable weather, the grey partridges are doing very well indeed. Touch wood, all are still alive and kicking, and their breasts seem greyer every single day. Some are even starting to grow the classic horseshoe markings, and their calls are getting more substantial than the conversational clucking which was all they were up Continue reading
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Partridge Poults
My attempts to work with grey partridges took a welcome but unexpected turn yesterday when I came into possession of seventeen eight week old poults. Thanks to a reader of this blog, I drove down to Penrith to collect a box of birds which have been totally captivating me ever since I got them home. Continue reading
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Four Week Partridge
Continuing with the series of partridge pictures, here’s a photo I just took of the single grey partridge at almost precisely four weeks old. He’s come on in leaps and bounds, but I’m very conscious of the fact that he’s been on poultry feed, which doesn’t have nearly a high enough protein content for him. Continue reading
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Young ‘Uns
After the stress of Monday’s bloody hatch of pheasant chicks, it’s worth mentioning that I now have seven healthy chicks beneath a broody. I know this is effectively the most basic thing for a would-be gamekeeper to have done, but it’s been a real thrill and amazingly satisfying to sit and watch. It’s still early Continue reading
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A Traumatic Hatch
After twenty four days, my pheasant eggs began to pip. I had to head up to the game fair at Perth (or what remained of it) on Monday to pick up some pieces, and left the broody hen on a nest full of chicks which were visibly chipped. When I got back in the evening, Continue reading
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Three Week Partridge
At three weeks old, my single grey partridge is really coming on. In fact, he’s done so well that he’s been attacking the quail which share his brooder. On of the quail was so badly beaten up that I really wondered if it was going to live, and the only thing I could do was Continue reading
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Two Weeks Old
After two weeks, I now have only one grey partridge chick. The bacterial infection killed the second chick on Tuesday, so now I’m stuck with a single chick from the first batch. It’s being brooded with some quail, so it’s not on it’s own but it’s still pretty disappointing. The progress from last week is Continue reading
About
“Shout on, Morgan. You’ll be nothing tomorrow”
Swn y galon fach yn torri, 1952
Also at: https://andtheyellowale.substack.com
Bog Myrtle & Peat 