Keeping Your Poults Happy

With the poults safely settled in their new home, Paul is busy trying to keep them happy and healthy – not helped by the biblical rain that set in just days after release

- Paul Howard

The pheasants have now been in their new home for three weeks, arriving in what was relatively nice dry weather, giving them a good chance to settle into their new habitat. A few days in, we then had what can only be described as biblical rain! Rain that flooded our new home, well, the garages at least. Rain that was almost off the scale! Luckily, the birds had had a few days in their new pen so they could acclimatise. They had already found out where the best places are to shelter and where they could find food and water.

My pens are always built up of a third cover, a third open area and a third of roosting area, which means the birds have somewhere to go and shelter from the weather and then when it dries and brightens up they have an area where they can sun themselves and dust. Always check the forecast for when your pheasants are due; if it is to be wet, it’s best to speak to your game dealer to reschedule. Also, don’t forget to do that final check around the pens just before they arrive – you never know when a tree might have come down on the pen!

After long periods of rain, it can be a high-risk time for your pheasants to pick up disease, such as hexamita, coccidiosis and trichomonas. Always look for the tell-tale signs: birds hunched up, ruffled feathers, very subdued behaviour and diarrhoea. They also rake out their food and play with it rather than eating it. If you see any of these signs, don’t make any assumptions – get your vet to conduct an autopsy and quickly.