Keepers warned to protect game poults as heatwave grips the UK

Gamekeepers are being warned to protect this season's game poults as a punishing heatwave pushes temperatures towards 39C and the UK Health Security Agency issues a red heat-health alert. Young pheasants and partridges in release pens are especially vulnerable to heat stress, which can kill birds quickly and with little warning.

Why are game poults at risk in a heatwave?

Poults newly moved out to release pens are still feathering up and have only a limited ability to cope with extreme heat. Pens with patchy shade, dense cover that traps still air, and drinkers that run warm or dry can all turn into danger spots through the hottest part of the day.

Heat stress brings on panting, outstretched wings, lethargy and a reluctance to feed. At its worst it causes birds to crowd into corners and shade, where smothering can kill large numbers in minutes.

What can keepers do to prevent heat stress?

The priority is a constant supply of cool, fresh water. Keepers are advised to add extra drinkers to stop birds crowding, keep them in shade and top them up often so they do not run warm.

Shade matters just as much. Natural cover, brash and shade netting all help, while huts and sheds need good ventilation. Birds should not be handled, dogged-in or moved during the heat of the day, and feeding is best done in the cooler early morning and evening.

Pens should be checked through the hottest hours so that any build-up of birds in corners can be broken up before it becomes a smother.

What are the signs of heat stress in poults?

Tell-tale signs include panting, holding the wings away from the body, gasping, lethargy and a reluctance to feed, along with birds piling into the deepest shade. Where birds are already in trouble, the response is to move them into shade, offer cool water, reduce the density in the pen and get more air moving through it.

What happens next?

The Met Office expects the heatwave to peak on Wednesday and Thursday, with a red extreme heat warning covering much of England and temperatures that could break the June record of 35.6C. Keepers should plan their pen checks around the hottest part of the day and keep monitoring conditions until the heat breaks.

The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and BASC both publish gamebird welfare and rearing guidance, which is worth revisiting before the next spell of extreme heat.