After buying grain from BOCM our last few dumpy bags were from a dealer. The grain looked musty and has a few crusts from dampness. Is it a coinsidence that our birds have lost interest in our feeders or is it because there are so many insects still alive (jan 6th) or have we just got it wrong.

night308

Hi , I have a small shoot and my birds are not using the food hoppers at all - I think it is down to the unseasonably mild weather. I am really struggling to hold my birds this year and I can only presume that it is down to the weather conditions.

Where is all the frost and snow this year ????????

Wait and see the frost will come on the 2nd of Feb. The reports across alot of the country is that their birds haven't held well. We are lucky as they seemed to have been living off of the maize crops even if they haven't fed on the feed supplied. As for the feed it does matter and supply the best you can afford.

I am using good quality wheat and also use the gamekeep spice mixed in , it smells bloody lovely but obviously there is too much natural food around and the pheasants are not using the hoppers much.

I released 150 phessies in August and to date I have only shot 24 - this season has been a disaster for me due to birds disappearing over the boundries - I reckon that I have only 10 or so birds left on my ground.

If by some miracle we do get a hard spell in the next couple of weeks - Is it normal for the pheasants to return to my ground and start using my hoppers ????


Cheers !!

I personally think you are running out of time for the birds to come back on their own this late in the season but you never know. Just an idea i wonder if you have had any disturbance when you have been busy. So many people have attended their shoots at a different time to normal to find they have had someone walking their dog in a crop every day all season hence no pheasants. Good Luck and look forward to next year. HK