By Alex Keeble, Central England Game & Wildlife Advisor
Releasing red-legged partridges can be both rewarding and frustrating, with a variety of factors affecting the success of release. There are many small shoots across the country that, at some point over the years, have decided to release a handful (50-200) on the farm to add a little extra to the shoot days. Often these additions achieve abysmal returns (circa 10%), which for the time, effort and expense of releasing inevitably means the releasing programme ceases.
Larger red-legged partridge shoots can achieve consistent returns due to employing a full-time gamekeeper, which allows for an effective predation control programme to be implemented and a scheduled feeding regime, combined with creating a favourable habitat. Larger shoots also shoot more days, which can increase the potential percentage returns, focusing on sole partridge drives utilising the ability to drive birds back and forth between drives.
Trickle
Red-legged partridges are commonly released as 12-18 week old poults; on my previous shooting estates we always released birds between 16-18 weeks so they were less susceptible to predation. Release pen construction varies from shoot to shoot: some larger estates release birds straight into game cover crops without a release pen, some use ‘A frame’ type release pens or standard square pens and lift the corners to trickle birds out after a few days.
A system I adopted on previous estates was to have an additional release pen attached to the main pen of standard sections, which consisted of three pen sections – one having a fox grid over a pop-hole for the outside and one pop-hole into the main pen. This enabled me to gently walk the birds into this pen before allowing them to wander out of the fox grids at their own leisure. This system allows the birds to walk out of the pen instead of flying out, which helps to keep them close directly after releasing. This additional pen via the fox grid also acts as an area where released birds can roost at night within the safety of an electric fenced area. It is best practice that after release that the pen sections are taken down and the top net is removed completely.
Birds should start to be released within a couple of days of their arrival. Releasing a covey-sized number of partridges (circa 25-30) helps the birds establish a covey and it also prevents predation pressures due to the other birds’ ability to raise the alarm of any potential danger. Within ten days all birds should be released from the pen. There is no need to keep call birds in the pen for longer than this as the availability of nearby feeders, habitat and drinkers will be enough to hold the birds within the area.
Whilst performing my dissertation at university I collaborated with the GWCT to research radio-tagged red-legged partridges to study their dispersal, habitat preferences and fate. Contrary to the popular saying “All of my red-legged partridges must have vanished onto the neighbouring ground”, the results from the study I was involved in showed that the key factor for losses was fox predation. Foxes can contribute to huge losses of birds after release, with many of the radio-tagged birds being found buried in hedges or within the middle of ploughed fields.
Survival rates
With this in mind, a regimented fox control programme should be implemented on the shoot to protect the young partridges after release. Fox disturbance can spread red-legs across the shoot at night, and split up coveys, which in turn reduces the likelihood of birds utilising one another to warn them of danger. Erecting a three-strand electric fence around the whole game cover block can also pay dividends as it deters both foxes and badgers from disrupting the birds, aiding survival rates.
Red-legged partridges hold well within hedges, floristically enhanced margins, game covers and young plantation woodlands. Game cover crops need to allow the birds to find safety under the canopy, move freely within it and feed in safety. Maize is the preferred option for red-legged releasing, however having a mixture of game cover is shown to benefit overall biodiversity, so splitting the crop to encompass both maize and a small seed-bearing crop would be advantageous. Kale, sorghum, millet, fodder radish, sunflowers, triticale, chicory and sweet clover can be used within a mix to give the red-legs various habitats to forage within; the key with all game covers is to drill in wide drill widths to allow the birds to utilise the crop, as a thick dense crop is often avoided.