Game birds including pheasants and red-legged partridges are reared in large numbers for shooting, with significant welfare challenges throughout their lifecycle.
Game bird welfare spans intensive rearing conditions and the challenge of releasing naive birds into challenging wild environments. Rearing welfare deficits include crowding, beak mutilation, and restricted movement. Post-release welfare includes high predation and starvation mortality. The scale is enormous - tens of millions of birds annually. Improving welfare standards in rearing and considering the welfare implications of release practices are both important welfare priorities.