A feed trial to improve the performance and quality of partridge has proved successful for a Highland sporting destination.
Last season, Spratts Game Foods and Premier Nutrition worked with a Shoot Manager looking to meet the challenges of a high altitude and often cold Highland climate for a prestigious partridge shoot.
The shoot manager has been focusing on maximising every aspect of the ground with marginal gains to create something really special for the owners and guests. Part of this has been to focus on healthy birds that fly well and can confidently meet a full calendar, as well as ensuring good quality in the lardert.
“In the Highlands the terrain and climate can be challenging for partridge,” explains Louise Fotheringham, specialist nutritionist at Spratt’s Game Foods. “It is often colder and wetter than other parts of the country, and on the heather moor they don’t have the same cover as a lowland shoot. By being proactive with a welfare and habitat plan, it gives the partridge every assistance from the start to thrive in these conditions.”
Over the past season, Spratts Game Foods has worked alongside poultry nutritionist Ralph Bishop at Premier Nutrition to trial bespoke nutrition at different stages to help improve the condition, fitness and ability of the partridge to thrive in this extreme environment. This is the first trial of its kind and prompted by the growing demand for quality nutrition for partridge.
“Precise nutrition makes all the difference to getting the best returns. We looked at the variables that the sporting business is contending with to tailor the feed, introducing a high-density grower and changing the time periods of feeding, factors that impact healthy growth and condition and the ability to thrive in an extreme environment,” explains Louise.
The trial started with one pen, but after two weeks of driving the birds, the Shoot Manager could see the difference and moved 100% of the partridge to Spratt’s high density grower. He was reporting that the birds were flying well, they handled terrain better when being driven, committing to big heights to cross over deep valleys.
In the larder they were also in fantastic condition, and at the end of the season he said that the investment in higher spec feeds had been paid back in a better return percentage and fitter, healthier birds.
Following extensive research in recent years with St David’s Vets and customers, Spratts Game Foods now includes probiotics in all of its feeds as standard.
“It’s become clear how vital probiotic bacteria is to good returns,” says Louise. “If you can support the birds with a probiotic from day-old, they build a strong gut microbiome which means they absorb more nutrition from feed and build up a stronger immune system and consequently a drop in antibiotic usage.”
Taking the research out of the lab into the field is so vital, especially for game birds where less of this has been done“Ralph and I have seen the value of the appliance of science at scale. We worked closely with the shoot manager throughout, monitoring and making decisions together, seeing what’s right for the birds and adjusting to what he was seeing and telling us.”
With its own on-site mill and a close working relationship with Premier Nutrition, Spratts Game Foods is able to respond quickly to feedback and the research results.
“It’s this flexible and tailored approach which can make all the difference to performance and profit margins for a sporting estate. Having seen the positive results of this trial in action, we are excited to be launching a new feed range for partridge and pheasants that is tailored to enhance nutrition and performance in more challenging climates and terrain.”