An Animal Aid undercover investigation conducted at the farm in July found rows of what are known as raised laying cages containing pairs of partridges. The cages are in breach of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes, because they were entirely barren and without any enrichment for the birds.
At the farm, there were also pheasants – who are penned in groups, with several females and one male bird, in cages that had a nesting box but nothing else to enrich the lives of these birds. Many of the female birds had ‘shrouds’ over their beaks – these are used by game farmers to stop the birds attacking each other. Many of the birds were in poor condition, suffering feather loss which is typically caused by the stress of their confinement.
These types of farms hold game birds known as ‘breeding stock’ – that is, birds who lay eggs, which are then hatched, and the resulting game birds will become feathered targets for shooters. The shooting season for partridges starts on 1 September and the pheasant shooting season starts on 1 October.
The use of raised laying cages has increasingly become the norm in game farming, because the systems are largely automated.
However, the cages cause a host of physical problems – such as foot problems because of the mesh floors as well as mental stress from the confinement. The birds repeatedly fly upwards into the cage roofs, in a futile effort to escape, often causing injuries to their scalps.
The egg laying season will have come to an end, but many farms keep on their breeding stock until the following season.
An Animal Aid petition calling for a ban on the use of cages for breeding game birds has already mustered more than 6,000 signatures.
