Price isn't the main factor

Liam Bell looks at the pitfalls to avoid and the questions to ask to ensure a healthy stock of birds this season

- Liam Bell

After the worries of the past 12 months, it is reassuring to know that there are few issues relating to the supply of this year’s pheasant eggs, chicks and poults. Barring any major outbreaks of avian influenza, there will be enough birds to go round. Partridge poults are still in relatively short supply, but they are there. While it is unlikely there will be a surplus, game farmers should still be able to fulfil their orders, even if the birds are a week or two late.

If you are going to give a repeat order to the people who supplied your poults last season, then all well and good, although I would advise you to do it sooner rather than later. If you were unhappy with your birds, were let down by your supplier and are looking for a new one or are about to order poults for the first time, it can be difficult to know where to start.

There are plenty of game farms and rearers advertising online and in the sporting press, but unless they are new to the game or expanding, it does make you wonder why they need to do so when most orders are the result of a recommendation by another customer. My advice would be to talk to your neighbours and see who is offering what locally, before you start looking further afield. And if you do find someone locally with what you want, find out who else they supply and see if you can give them a ring. If they speak highly of them, it is probably enough of a recommendation.