surrogator

I just found this site and saw your post. I have had great success with the surrogator for both quail and pheasant.

Here are my notes from a reference I did before I purchased. Hope it helps.
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Here are my notes from the reference I did with Bernie. Retired DNR guy who now has 7 of these units and is managing over 1,000 for a gun club and/or state (not sure). Last year he released 600 pheasant and 1500 quail. He lives in Northern PA by Clarion.

- He does 70 pheasants at a time for 5 weeks.
- He does 120 quail for 7 weeks.
- He does 3 cycles per year starting with Pheasants on May 18th. Ends with Quail since they are roamers and will covey up and take off.
- recommends 2 types of food plots. Tall cover and sorghum. Bugs love to live in the clover and that is what chicks need to survive. Sorghum provides food and habitat.
- he uses two 20lb propane tanks verse one 40 lbs due to weight of the tanks. Easy to buy and fill.
- he buys his quail chicks from Wisconsin since they are a heartier bird and typically 4 ounces bigger than a southern quail. He said they look like small grouse taking off.
- he said quail are natural nomads once they covey up. They will stay on the property for 6/8 weeks and then wonder off searching for food. If you have sorghum or clover, they may stay longer but they are natural wonders. He said after his first hatching people were calling him 2.5 miles away saying there was 20 quail in their birdfeeder. He also said quail would live right nest to the house, barn garage etc.
- He said the chick food he would buy comes in small pellets but he recommends putting it in a blender and turn it into a fine powder. He would use powder for the first two weeks. He would take clay pigeon disk and turn them upside down for bowls. Put the powder in the bowls.
- one time he had the pilot light go out on the unit so just check the heat source when looking at the unit.
- he puts 4 table spoons of white vinegar in the water container that comes with the unit. That helps keep the water from turning green and helps the chicks digest food.
- as long as the night time temps don't go below 60 degrees the heat source won't go on.
- he looses about 10 pheasant and 12 quail per cycle.
- On week 2, he will put in sliced watermelon or cantaloupe in the crate. It helps pheasant from attacking each other and gives the chicks electrolytes.
- powerwashes the crate at the end of the cycle. You can also spray it down with bleach and water if you want but he hasn't done that yet. Just powerwashing.
- He places the unit at the end of the field in the shade. He bought old WW2 tank nets to over the units to protect the chicks from the heat.
- Do not put the unit in the air on blocks or anything. The first time he did that, most of the chicks were killed by coons and weasels pulling them through the bottom of the unit.
- He sets the thermostat to 3 when he first puts the chicks in the unit.
- Then after 2 weeks, he sets the thermostat to 2.
- After the nights are above 60 degrees, he takes the heating unit out and this gives the chicks more room. BUT it must be over 60 degrees or the chicks will die.

Bernie has used the units for 2 seasons. The quail who were raised in the units bred wild quail the second season. They are now having chicks so he has true wild quail in the area.