Pheasants in Ireland, good or bad???

carolwonders

Ok I feel a small bit of defending pheasants has to be done before they are held responsible for putting the partridge on the boat to France,
Take it from someone that knows, they are not the brightest of birds but their introduction into Ireland many years ago has brought about a lot of positivity in the form of jobs-feed suppliers, gamekeepers etc and keeps the foxes and mink well fed. They are also incredibly good looking

As was mentioned above pheasant that are bred for release or to shoots are reared in houses/pens until they are 7 weeks old usually and then moved to release pens run by gun clubs/shoots/conservations or whoever. Here they are fed but in smaller amounts so they also learn to feed themselves. Their hatching season is April & May so by November-Shooting season they are usually 6 months old.
In Britain which has a far higher population of pheasants than us their average number of release pheasants shot is over 30% and on driven shoots it is over 50%, True a percentage of the ones that survive fall prey to farm machinery, cars etc but also as food for predators so I don't think they will over populate anytime soon.
It is somewhat disappointing to hear that just because they are not a native Irish bird like the Corncrake that we fear them as a threat. I don't think anyone can honestly say they are not a beautiful sight/sound of an evening. The Grey Partridge has been repeatedly reintroduced -and a lot of money spent doing this. the truth about the grey partridge is that they are not as good to survive as red legged partridge or pheasants, even as chicks they are incredibly hard to rear.
Pheasants reared in captivity are often fed food that vaccinates them against coccidiosis and other diseases, and wormed for gapes by responsible gamekeepers, for this reason I would not worry about them carrying anything the other birds dont.

magicbastarder

carolwonders wrote: »

has brought about a lot of positivity in the form of jobs-feed suppliers, gamekeepers etc and keeps the foxes and mink well fed.

keeping minks well fed is not a good thing - unless it keeps mink from eating other native animals, but i suspect not!

carolwonders

That is true, Mink was probably a bad example I realise mink are regarded as a pest in Ireland and Im not endorsing feeding them. Il go with a better example next time.

baaba maal

I get a good few pheasants feeding around my wild bird feeders. I have noticed quite a number of dead frogs around the garden (wet ground, half is kept short, the rest as meadow)- the frogs seem to be pecked at, head is missing or other fairly terminal injury.:rolleyes: . I can't think of any other predators that could be doing this- or am I missing something?

Deepman

Just saw this thread and wanted to add my tuppenyha'penny's worth.
Firstly there does not appear to be an known aggregate figure for total numbers of pheasants released on the Island of Ireland . In Britain , it is estimated up to 50 MILLION Pheasant and Partridges are released EVERY YEAR !!! As already mentioned approx 30 - 50% of Birds released are shot but the rest are , in many cases eaten by Foxes , Mink , BOP , Starve to death or die of gunshot wounds or poached in traps , nets etc . They are a ground nesting bird and are extremely vulnerable to predation . Further , any natural "instinct" has been bred out of them as they receive ZERO "imprinting" from their Mothers .It is Humans that have made them appear "stupid" - just like we have with Sheep and so many other animals. Very few Pheasants reproduce naturally - most of the chicks die. Despite its popularity for shooting there is not such a great demand for them as food - I think many Birds are exported to France .It is also very difficult to assess if they adversely affect other natural species or are a net benefit because other wild Birds feed on their grain from automatic feeders . Certainly there are more Foxes and BOP in Ireland as a result of Pheasants. Pheasants often feed on the margins of roads and motorways due to grain trucks shedding grain along the lay byes . Bird strikes by Cars are far more numerous in Britain than here due to greater numbers of pheasants and cars .They can weigh between 2 - 5 lbs and can easily damage windscreens and panels if struck at speed . With the recent threat of Avian Flu there is concern that they could become a vector for the spread of this disease if migratory birds pass it on to them. I feel they would not survive more than a decade or two in the wild if all shooting and releasing was stopped tomorrow.

OpenYourEyes

Some valid and interesting points Deepman, though I'd dispute the assertion that we have more BOPs in Ireland as a result of Pheasants. Similarly I'd point out that transmission of avian flu and zoonotic diseases is a two-way street with regards captive and wild birds. All that being said this is a thread that hasn't been active for 4 and a half years. If you want to start a fresh thread on the topic feel free to do so.

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