Sandhill Game Bird Services

07/06/2024

Read our advice and guidance on GL43 and GL45, which cover the release of gamebirds on or near SACs and SPAs respectively in England.

01/06/2024

We have seen some quality chicks this year, such as these with starve out losses under 1%.
Then at the other end of the scale we have seen far too many disastrous starve out losses over 10% in "cheap" chicks from afar! ...In our experience things are cheap for a reason. 🥚 🐣

26/05/2024

VAN DRIVER WANTED. This role will be in addition to our current routes throughout Northumberland, Durham and Cumbria.
Call 01845 578710 or email [email protected] for more info

22/05/2024

An unusual finding today in a GROUSE chick with Yolk sac infection and LICE!
Yolk sac infection is common finding in farmed birds but rare in wild birds.
This chick likely comes from a weak wormy hen where egg quality was poor and therefore chick quality and immunity is compromised. This struggling chick then had a heavy burden of Lice to further drag it down.

21/05/2024

We have been busy this spring delivering Trusted Game audits. This vet led audit involves working with your vet to ensure best practice, high levels of health & welfare and working within the law.
All for the purpose of ensuring a long and sustainable future for the game sector.

We now have the new Trusted Game folders to keep all paperwork in one place. We will be distributing these to all Trusted Game sites over the summer.

10/05/2024

As Trusted Game (the vet and gamekeeper written and vet delivered practical audit scheme) continues to grow we now have official folders to keep all of the TG paperwork in! 🙌
Please let us know if you are interested in joining the Trusted Game scheme.
For those of you already involved we will be distributing folders asap.

07/05/2024

Rearing fields filling up now!

26/04/2024

We are busy out and about visiting game farms and shoots as things start to get going. Currently we are busy water testing lines to ensure cleanliness ahead of the season:
✅️ Live ATP device tests water cleanliness in real-time for a few £
✅️ Culture/ TVCs gives an accurate bacterial count and tells us exactly what bacteria are present
✅️ All non-mains should be mineral tested each year.
✅️ Acid cleaner to remove limescale
✅️ Hydrocare (silver stabilised Hydrogen Peroxide) to remove biofilm
✅️ Hydrocare and/or organic acids used at low doses to sanitise water to reduce the spread of disease, reduce biofilm and algae and improve gut health!

We are also incredibly busy with audits. This practical scheme is growing rapidly and becoming the norm for most sites as part of a thorough annual review.

16/04/2024

We were out speaking about self-regulation, and GL45 tonight at the .
The shooting sector is under the spotlight more than ever before following AI and GL43 / GL45. We must ensure our standards are high and be proud of what we do.

04/04/2024

Busy visiting sites around beautiful today!

27/03/2024

Earlier this month we were speaking at BASC North BASC - The British Association for Shooting and Conservation Northern gamekeeper conference at Swinton Estate
Gamekeepers Welfare Trust

22/03/2024

GL45 Is now out! This long awaited General licence has been published tonight.
As always we are here to help where we can

See link below or in bio:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gamebirds-licence-to-release-common-pheasants-or-red-legged-partridges-on-specified-special-protection-areas-or-within-500m-of-their-boundary-gl45/gl45-licence-to-release-common-pheasants-or-red-legged-partridges-on-specified-special-protection-areas-or-within-500m-of-their-boundary

13/03/2024

Join us in Hexham tonight for our 2024 game talk.

05/03/2024

Dan was speaking at conference today, speaking about self regulation, ,
Thanks to

01/03/2024

Over 70 fed last night with pie and peas at the first of our game bird talks! A big thanks to John Clark from for giving us an update on GL43, Licencing and United Utilities and other talks from the Sandhill team!
Thank you to our sponsors Eco Animal health and Kersia.

01/03/2024

Massive thanks to the continued support from The National Gamekeepers' Organisation and John Clark giving us all an update on GL43, Licencing and United Utilities at the first of our game talks last night

A key objective of the NGO is to ensure gamekeeper members have all the information they need and are kept up to date with any new developments.

Meetings like the one arranged last night by our friends at Game Bird Services in Topcliffe Village Hall, North Yorkshire, are an excellent example of how we can share information, answer questions and make sure we are all working within current legislation and to best practice guidelines.

Topics covered included an update on avian influenza together with practical cleaning and disinfection by Dan King from Sandhill Vets, while the NGO's John Clarke reported on the current situation regarding GL43, releasing on SPAs, and where we are regarding United Utilities.

Thank you to everyone who came along, but especially to Dan and Laura for their hard work in bringing the evening together.

28/02/2024

There's still time to sign up if you would like to attend the first of our game talks tomorrow night!
Pie and peas supper!
#

27/02/2024

We are out and about visiting flocks with caught up and overwintered breeding birds as we start to visit sites ahead of the rearing season. We have many audits to complete and now is a great time to get these done.

Where birds are showing signs of Sinusitis/ Bulgy eye we are testing birds for Mycoplasma, Pasteurella, ART, ORT, Gapes, Aspergillosis and general bacterial sinus infections.
It is important to have these cases diagnosed and know the disease status of your birds so appropriate action can be taken.

This case however is a one off, most likely Fowl Pox infection and not at all typical of Mycoplasma. This pox virus is spread between all avian species and is rarely a flock issue, with sporadic cases occurring. Birds showing signs should be culled and if more than the odd bird, sent to the vet for testing.

25/02/2024

Dan was speaking at the last week at . Sandhill was one of the founding vet practices for the . The health and welfare scheme was set up following client demand for a practical and cost-effective audit scheme to promote credible self-regulation of the sector- all for a sustainable long-term future of shooting.
The conference was closed by The Rt Hon Lord Benyon.

22/02/2024

Do you follow / Trusted Game on social media?

This Veterinary led health and welfare scheme is to ensure of best practice, drive improvements in bird health and welfare, reduce antibiotic use, and help protect our sector by offering cost-effective, practical self regulation.

20/02/2024

Dan's article in the Game Farmers Association newsletter on . This vet led scheme is not only a defensive measure to protect each site and the sector as a whole, but also a detailed audit with your own vet. The aim of the scheme is to identify areas for improvement to aid with antibiotic reduction, improve bird health and welfare and therefore improve the performance and profitability of each site.
AUDITS ARE CAPPED AT £300 PER SITE!
Speak to your vet to sign up!

08/02/2024

We are down at speaking at the first Trusted Game Conference. This conference is for keepers and industry and has brought speakers together from , Vets, , , , Gibovendee (France), (USA) , National game dealers association, Game Farmers Association.

03/02/2024

Join us for our annual game bird talks. Please contact the practice to book your place.
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19/01/2024

Last chance to Register - just 8 places left at our Conference 7/8 February. Call the NGO ASAP on 01833 660869 to bag a place

14/01/2024

Our winter newsletter is now out. If you would like to be added to our mailing list and receive our newsletters then please get in touch!

06/12/2023

Trusted Game, the health and welfare scheme run and provided by the majority of game-focused vets and vet practices in the UK, has announced its first conference to be held on 7th and 8th February 2024,
To book call 01833660869

Trusted Game, the health and welfare scheme run and provided by the majority of game-focused vets and vet practices in the UK, has announced its first conference to be held on 7th and 8th February 2024, entitled “Towards a more secure future”.

The venue is Englefield Estate, Reading, and the conference will run from 11am on Day 1, and finish early in the afternoon of Day 2. There will be a dinner with entertainment on the evening of the 7th.

Each day will be divided into topic sessions covering the following

Game farming
Releasing of game
Licensing issues
Developments in self-regulation
Antimicrobial reduction programmes
Supply chains of Europe and the USA
Game as food

To book call 01833660869

12/11/2023

Looking forward to this event 🙌

09/11/2023

AI risk in wild birds dropped to "medium". A great sign for the time of the year!

28/10/2023

More worms 🪱 !! We are seeing worms causing serious issues on many sites in recent years. With the changes in climate, worms are becoming much more of an issue all year round. Worming programs and worm surveillance needs some serious thought on all sites!
Here, these Ascarid worms were found in Partridges that were not performing and seriously under weight.
Following the recent storms we have had a surge of submissions of Pheasants and Partridge in the North.

04/10/2023

Register your interest by emailing [email protected]