Quick Guide: Building the ultimate Pheasant Release Pen

What makes the perfect pheasant release pen? Here are some key considerations and tips for building an ideal environment for your birds.

Choosing the perfect location

• Away from boundaries: Ensure the pen is placed well away from property boundaries to prevent birds from wandering off.
• Elevation matters: Opt for high ground locations rather than valley bottoms to encourage birds to fly and roost.
• Sunshine and cover: Poults need plenty of low cover for safety and sunny spots for warmth. Aim for a mix of sunny spaces, low escape cover, and roosting areas in an intimate mosaic.

Creating a comfortable environment

• Low cover: Poults need lots of low cover to dive into when danger approaches.
• Roosting areas: Provide plenty of bushes up to four or five meters high for roosting.
• Avoid excessive tree canopy: Too much tree canopy suppresses ground cover and makes birds vulnerable to predators.
• Woodland edges: Keep the fence within the woods to avoid exposing birds to predators.

Determining the right size

• Avoid overcrowding: Overcrowding increases stress and susceptibility to disease. Aim for no more than 1000 poults per hectare.
• Special cases: Ancient semi-natural woodlands are sensitive areas; aim for no more than 700 poults per hectare.

Constructing the pen

• Fence height: Use a 2m high fence with 30cm turned out and buried to deter predators.
• Material: Modern extruded black plastic is suitable for the top part of the pen, while wire netting is best for the bottom.
• Access gates: Ensure access gates fit neatly and have no gaps.
• Re-entry funnels: Install funnels every 50m to allow birds to re-enter if they fly out.
• Electric fence: Add two strands of wire outside the pen to deter foxes.

Food and water

• Feeding stations: Provide a feeder for every fifty birds, distributed evenly throughout the pen.
• Water supply: Automatic water systems are ideal, but additional drinkers in remote corners are beneficial, especially initially.
• Cleanliness: Regularly move feeders and drinkers to avoid muddy spots, and maintain cleanliness to prevent disease.

Further reading

You can read a more in-depth guide here.