Producing around 150,000 pheasants and partridges each year, the business overwinters its own stock in a completely closed flock. Birds are hatched and reared on the farm, supplying a wide range of commercial shoots with Red Leg partridge, and Ringneck and first-cross Kansas pheasants. When crossed with other larger breeds, the Kansas-cross breed produces a larger, more manageable bird than the smaller pure Kansas breed. With the additional benefit of hybrid vigour, the breed is becoming increasingly popular and suits all types of shoots.
The breeding flock at Heath Hatcheries is fed on our Sportsman Maintenance Feed throughout winter, before moving onto our pre-breeder at 13% protein - 2.5mm for partridge and 3.2mm for pheasants - to keep birds fit and lean prior to the breeding season.
Once they are transferred to the laying pens, all birds move on to our Sportsman Breeder Range, containing key minerals, vitamins and enzymes for higher levels of fertility and productivity. For partridge, this means a 2.5mm pellet, at 20% protein, and a 3.2mm pellet at 17.5% protein for pheasants. Both rations encourage high egg production, hatchability and shell quality, as well as enhancing the immune response and development of the hatching chick. Partridges usually start laying from the middle of February, and pheasants follow on a month later. Stuart reports good productivity levels throughout the laying period, and healthy, fertile birds.
“Once again the breeding stock have looked well throughout the spring, and into the laying period,” he says.
“They like the feed, and it is performing well - we’ve collected the expected quantities of eggs, and the egg size and shell quality has been great, as usual.”
Partridge hatch from mid-April through to the first week of July, and pheasants started hatching during the first week of May, also finishing in early July. Stuart usually expects the hatching rate for both partridge and pheasants to be around 80% or above, which he achieved once again in 2023.
“We are really happy with the hatching rates. The birds and eggs are clearly very healthy and fertile – the results speak for themselves.”
When it comes to rearing the hatched chicks, the pheasant chicks start off on our Sportsman Starter Fine Crumb at 28% protein for the first nine days, and for the first two weeks for the partridge.
The Sportsman Starter Range has been developed to encourage feed intake and support early growth. At this critical stage of the bird’s life, the range provides optimum levels of protein and amino acids, along with trace elements and vitamins.
From here, the birds move onto the starter micro pellet, also at 28% protein, before the Game Grower No.1 2.5mm pellet for the first stage grower diet.
Supporting continued growth and feathering, the Grower Range includes high-quality proteins, and balanced mineral levels, trace elements and vitamins. The inclusion of protected butyrate supports gut health and immune response, while vitamin D (HyD) helps birds develop good bone strength for long-term performance.
“I’ve been really happy with the development and growth of the birds at every stage,” Stuart says.
“They grow very well each year, and always look very healthy and strong. When we deliver the birds out to customers, I often receive positive feedback from customers on their strength and vigour, and the repeat custom is, of course, a clear indicator of that.”
For Heath Hatcheries, delivery out to customers usually begins in late June for pheasants, and continues through the next few months, while partridges leave the game farm towards the end of July through to mid-September.
With the increased threat of Avian Influenza in recent years, Heath Hatcheries’ closed flock and bird performance has meant a continued and long-standing relationship with customers. These are mostly local, smaller syndicate shoots across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, with some birds going further afield to larger shoots in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hertfordshire.
“Customers come back year-on-year,” says Stuart. “We have a close-to-guaranteed supply chain in unpredictable times, especially over the past few years, and I am proud to say that as a team we have fulfilled all customer orders.”
Heath Hatcheries is one of our largest customers; other than the first two years of operating, they have been customers in one shape or form ever since, due to various acquisitions over the years. Stuart has known national sales manager Andrew Davies for many years, but, more recently, has been working with Leah Richardson in her role as account manager in the East of England.
“Of course I have a loyalty to Sportsman, and that is based on my positive experience each year,” explains Stuart. “I won’t move for small price difference, and if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
Feed destined for Heath Hatcheries is manufactured at our state-of-the-art mill facilities in Walsingham in North Norfolk, which underwent major investment in 2020. Here, stringent quality standards underpin everything, with a fully automated system, which includes remote support functions, allowing Sportsman to streamline the entire supply chain and maintain a consistent supply to customers.
“The quality of the feed is always great – it’s consistent, and always out of the same mill at Walsingham,” he adds.
“But it is not just about the product - the whole team at Sportsman runs a tight ship. The entire package, and every part of the chain, works well, from the drivers, who are very efficient and flexible with early delivery times, to the team in the office – support coordinators Becky Cherry and Jess Baker - who understand me and how my business works.”
“It’s all about communication, and it’s the smaller details which make the difference – it’s efficient people and common sense that makes things run smoothly, and the Sportsman team certainly provides that,” says Stuart.
Over the years, Stuart and the team at Heath Hatcheries haven’t required any bespoke feed requirements, as the birds seem to flourish on our standard Sportsman ranges. He has, however been involved in some trial work, working with our game nutritionist Dr Laura Faller on breeder and rearer trials in both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons respectively.
The breeder trial looked at the effect of adding a fibre product to the diet in order to improve welfare by reducing aggression and hen pecking through increasing gut fill and nutrient absorption with the fibre product. The rearer trial explored super-dosing phytase for improved performance by enhancing nutrient release from feed, namely phosphorous and the release of additional nutrients through further breakdown of phytate.
Ahead of his plans to move away from a raised unit set-up, Stuart has undertaken trials of his own, in conjunction with the Game Farmers’ Association, to compare different bedding materials and the effect this has on egg production throughout the breeding period. The trials, which took place in 2023, also considered different bird pairings. The trial is ongoing for the 2024, and will look to address some of the issues encountered in 2023.