Low Ellington Shoot

Low Ellington Shoot I hope you find it informative and I will do my best to answer any questions/ queries.

This page is to promote the positive and essential work carried out by Gamekeepers, Farmers and land managers in your local countryside, in which wildlife thrives.

04/06/2025

Circles out and bedding up day for these ones today, after doing 50 laps round the shed some a having a little snooze to recuperate đŸ„đŸ’€

03/06/2025

Don’t be brainwashed into believing that managed estates are devoid of predators and birds of prey, it’s absolute nonsense, here’s one of several buzzard nests, the video just missed the hen feeding the young. The work we do allows all species to thrive, which naturally attracts predators. If you think logically and factually, if there is an insufficient food source in an area they won’t live in that area.

03/06/2025

Wild brood of French partridge, approximately 16 chicks only two or three days old. Most French partridge are renowned for been terrible parents but occasionally we get some who are fully committed to raising their chicks, hopefully this might be one of themđŸ€žđŸ»

01/06/2025

Brood of oystercatchers on fearby road this morning, probably coming out to dry off from last nights rain, they were still there when I came back 10 minutes later on a corner so I caught them and let them go on an open field not 20 yards from where they were, mum followed me onto the field. Slow down and give them chance to slip through a gap or a gate, try and avoid trying to catch or round them up, as you may split the brood up and cause stress, I’ve seen people doing it before who were more bothered about filming on their phones and not realizing that a couple of chicks had run into cover on the other side of the road from where they were sending the others.

30/05/2025

Video I was sent of a deer taking a little tumble. When driving on rural roads especially this time of year, take extra care and be vigilant, not just for the sake of your car parts but for wildlife, chicks and hedgehogs for example may cross the roads when foraging. Chicks especially may come onto roads to dry off after rainfall, you may also see a lot of birds on the road early in the morning, this is when they will be gritting, eating chippings which will grind up their food through the gizzards, making for easier digestion.

28/05/2025

Pair of lapwings with the hen appearing to be brooding a chick or two, she didn’t show how many but they must be a little later hatch if they can still hide under the hen, this could be due to parents nesting for the first time or they possibly had a failed early nest and had another go.

28/05/2025

Second batch in yesterday, and a clean, freshen and bed up for the first batch, aswell as putting manola feeders in to replace the trays. We usually muck out any damp or dirty spot every week to keep them fresh. We’ve used a variety of bedding in the past but we find the stockmax shavings are best, it turns out over very well and stays fresh for longer rather clumping/caking up and smelling.

There’s been a couple of bee swarms in the area recently, bees swarm like this for a few reasons, the main reason usuall...
23/05/2025

There’s been a couple of bee swarms in the area recently, bees swarm like this for a few reasons, the main reason usually is due to overcrowding in their current hive/nest, it usually means the old queen has left the hive with some of the worker bees to establish a new hive, leaving the old hive to raise a new queen. Swarming like this is usually a good sign as it means the colony is healthy. Bees are the most important thing in the countryside, mainly due to essential pollination. Any beekeepers may shed more light and knowledge.

22/05/2025

What is mysterious wet stuff falling from the sky🧐. Aswell as arable crops and grass and silage fields desperately needing a drink, we need some rain to boost insect life, most birds especially chicks may be struggling to find enough insects to feed on while it’s been so dry. In some species of insects rain will trigger the breeding process.

That’s the first batch in yesterday, the first few day are crucial as the chicks will absorb the yolk sac in 2-3 days an...
21/05/2025

That’s the first batch in yesterday, the first few day are crucial as the chicks will absorb the yolk sac in 2-3 days and they must start feeding themselves by then, chicks which don’t start to feed will die usually in the 2 or 3 days after the yolk has been absorbed, these are what we call ‘starve-outs’ this is not because they are been ‘intensively’ reared, wild broods will also loose 1 or 2 chicks from this. As you can see in the sheds we have plenty of food trays, they start off with a fine starter crumb for about the first week then they will take coarse crumbs, we also have chick paper where crumbs are scattered, when the chicks walk on this it kind of crackles which can encourage the chicks to start picking the crumb. It’s also important that the chicks get a drink within the first hour or two of been in sheds as dehydration can stress them which can also bring on bacterial infections. Lighting is important so as the chicks can move around the shed to eat and drink but at this point we don’t want natural light shining in, this is why we use the red Perspex in the windows, and we use rechargeable light bulbs which are put in the sheds early morning and again on an evening to give them more chance and more time to start feeding themselves, if the shed is dark they may not move around so much and they will start ‘brooding’ even when there is still daylight outside. Any questions please ask awayđŸ‘đŸ»

Leaving school this year and thinking about a job in the countryside?If you’re interested in gamekeeping here’s some adv...
19/05/2025

Leaving school this year and thinking about a job in the countryside?
If you’re interested in gamekeeping here’s some advice and pointers you might find useful;
There are a few colleges which offer gamekeeping courses including, Askham Bryan, Bishop Burton and Craven college.
For the best start and likely advancement in gamekeeping your best route is an apprenticeship, hands on experience is very important for future employment, this is a job you simply cannot learn in a classroom.
Gamekeeping is not an 8-5 job, work hours are long and demanding, with lots of manual labor so a good level of fitness is an asset. You will need to be a fast learner on the the job, most headkeepers won’t have the time to be going over things again and again, you’ll need to be ‘thick-skinned’ and be able to take a bollocking on the chin. As an apprentice you will need to prove yourself within your (approximately) 2 years course to gain references for future jobs as you work your way up the ladder. As I said before it is far from an 8-5 job so a genuine and strong interest and passion for wildlife and conservation is a must, you’ll need to be dedicated to the work from the start. If you have passion for wildlife you’ll get out of the job what you put in. As to how far and how fast you work your way up the ranks is entirely down to you and your work ethic and ability. Gamekeeping is not a particularly well paid job(especially considering the hours we work) but there are usually perks and benefits which come with the job such as a house/accommodation, vehicle/atv as well as clothing allowances, ammunition, dog allowance, a share of shoot day tips. As this job may not work out for some it may be recommended to acquire another qualification such as a trade so you have something to fall back on if gamekeeping isn’t for you, if you have an interest and have any questions as to what to expect feel free to askđŸ‘đŸ»

Just tanks/drinkers to fill with fresh water and crumbs to go in the trays ready for the first batch of chicks tomorrow....
19/05/2025

Just tanks/drinkers to fill with fresh water and crumbs to go in the trays ready for the first batch of chicks tomorrow. Lots of work has been done to get this far but much more work from tomorrow, heres a checklist to give you an idea of what needs to be done before chicks arrive:
Sweep sheds✅
Pressure wash entire interior ✅
Spray with general disinfectant ✅
Spray again with specific disinfectant to target coccidosis✅
Rake and level shed floors✅
Cut and staple down shed floors(silage sheet)✅
Clean header tanks✅
Flush all water lines and fill tanks with HPPA(acid disinfectant)✅
Clean and scrub with disinfectant all drinkers, chick trays, feeders etc. ✅
Maintenance on the sheds✅
Wash and disinfectant hardboard ✅
Clean, service and test gas lamps✅
Flush water lines out thoroughly again and re-fill this time with chlorine tablets✅
Clean red windows✅
Scatter dry start( a powder disinfectant) on the floor✅
Erect hardboard circles and spread bedding✅
Test all gas fittings and replace old pipes and fittings✅
Place chick paper and chick trays and fill with crumbs✅
Flush water lines a final time✅
Place boot dips at each shed✅

I think I’ve covered almost everything barring plenty of other minor and odds jobs, if you have any questions as to how we do what we do and how we set the shed up feel free to askđŸ‘đŸ»

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