Ten Golden Rules For Releasing Gamebirds

This checklist will help game farmers and gamekeepers involved in releasing gamebirds to ensure all aspects are given due consideration.

The Game Farmers’ Association hopes it will encourage best practice and successful results. However, it cannot be a detailed manual and it should therefore be read in conjunction with the Code of Good Shooting Practice and the specific guidance available from The Game Conservancy Trust and others.

1. Early Planning

Very early and careful consideration should be given to the type and numbers of birds to be released. Release pen sitting, numbers and design will be determined by what the shoot is trying to achieve, but all pens should be of the highest quality and carefully thought through. Strategies for feeding and disease control should be worked out long before any birds are ordered.

2. Good Liaison

Good communication between the gamekeeper, the game farm, the vet and the feed supplier are fundamental. The rearing of gamebirds from egg to release is a continual process and liaison between those involved needs to be continuous too. First contact should be established well before any birds are delivered and should continue right through, including the sharing afterwards of any lessons learned during the release process. Ideally, the keeper should visit the game farm to view the birds. Some game farmers may also be able to visit the shoot to advise on preparations for release.

3. Choice of Game Farm

To ensure early planning and good liaison a known and trusted game farm should be chosen to supply the birds. A relatively local British game farm rearing to the DEFRA's Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes.   is recommended.  Don’t buy on price alone: poor quality birds will cost more in the long run. Mixing birds from different suppliers will increase the risk of disease.

4. Clarity of Order

Orders should specify not just numbers but also the strain required and any special needs such as full-winged or wing tagged (for scientific research). Well-prepared birds can then be released without further unnecessary handling, which could cause stress. Feed and medication requirements should be discussed when the order is placed so that preparations can be made on the shoot to ensure continuity. For the same reasons the delivery note should include a veterinary history of the birds.

5. Preparation of Release Pens

Release pens need to be well-designed and of high quality with appropriate ratios of cover and open space. Pay attention to physical security, remembering to avoid locations where the public might cause disturbance. Biosecurity (eg. footdips) is also important and straw should not be spread as it inevitably gets damp and encourages disease. Drinkers and feeders should be plentiful and well spread, right to the edges of the pen. They should be of the same type used on the game farm and all should be filled and ready before any birds arrive. Electric fencing to discourage predators should be up and switched on a couple of days before the delivery is expected.

6. Access

Ensure the game farmer can drive right up to – and preferably into – the release pen. Gates need to be wide enough to get crates through easily. Remove any obstructions such as overhanging branches or ankle height electric fencing.

7. Delivery

The game farmer needs to ensure that transport arrangements comply with the law. The shoot should prepare well in advance for delivery within a specific week, but avoid being committed to a particular day in case the weather is bad. The earlier in the day the birds can be delivered, the more daylight they will have to get to know their new surroundings. Have plenty of people on hand to ensure a swift unloading without panic, then leave the birds to settle.

8. Food and Medication

Thought should have been given to feed and medication long before birds arrive. During release, birds have enough to contend with in terms of change of environment; do not add to it by changing feed type, ration or delivery methods at the same time. Any subsequent changes should be phased in. If birds stop feeding or drinking for a time, it not only weakens them but also interrupts any in-feed or in-water medication. If in-after medication is used, birds should not have access to alternative, untreated water, as that would dilute their intake.

9. Problem Solving

Good planning and preparation will reduce the risk of disease or other problems, but if there are difficulties in the first few days after introducing the birds to the release pens, contact the game farmer immediately for advice.

10. Teamwork

Finally, we would like to re-emphasise the importance of the game farmer, gamekeeper, feed supplier and vet working together as a team. Their first concern should always be the best way to ensure a smooth release process, minimal stress and a successful result.

Introductory words from Paul Jeavons, GFA Chairman

"We already have Codes of Practice for game farms and game shooting, but the process of getting birds in good condition from one to the other has been rather neglected. It is a grey area where there can be losses due to disease and other factors. By bringing experts together to focus on the subject, the Game Farmers Association aims to help the whole industry to do its job better.

At that distance it is impossible to have a really close relationship between the game farm and the shoot. Our message is “ buy British” and if you want quality, buy from a GFA member.”

Eddy Graves, Headkeeper at Stowell Oark, Gloucestershire added...

“This was a very helpful contribution to everyone’s understanding of gamebirds releasing. There were lots of practical tips but for me the key message was the importance of early and continuous contact between the gamekeeper his game farm, his feed supplier and his vet.”

Orders should specify not just numbers but also the strain required and any special needs such as full-winged or wing tagged (for scientific research). Well-prepared birds can then be released without further unnecessary handling, which could cause stress. Feed and medication requirements should be discussed when the order is placed so that preparations can be made on the shoot to ensure continuity. For the same reasons the delivery note should include a veterinary history of the birds.

Introductory words from Paul Jeavons, GFA Chairman

"We already have Codes of Practice for game farms and game shooting, but the process of getting birds in good condition from one to the other has been rather neglected. It is a grey area where there can be losses due to disease and other factors. By bringing experts together to focus on the subject, the Game Farmers Association aims to help the whole industry to do its job better.

At that distance it is impossible to have a really close relationship between the game farm and the shoot. Our message is “ buy British” and if you want quality, buy from a GFA member.”

Eddy Graves, Headkeeper at Stowell Oark, Gloucestershire added...
“This was a very helpful contribution to everyone’s understanding of gamebirds releasing. There were lots of practical tips but for me the key message was the importance of early and continuous contact between the gamekeeper his game farm, his feed supplier and his vet.”