More Quail Chicks

[AA Plantation]

After raising the first batch in the home made brooder/recall pens.
The succees was pretty good Total loss 568 birds most were lost the first week.
Some were lost due to escape when changing feed and water.
I will be picking up a new batch of 2000 this weekend.
After the release The boxes were pressur washed and dried in the sun for a day. then sprayed with bleach and presure washed again. finally they are in my new flight pen and have been sprayed with bleach once again. All the feeders and waters are soaking in water/bleach and will remain in there till the birds arive.
 

[wildergamebirds]

Dale, I've used brooders made of OSB like you used.  I thought part of my losses may have been due to the formaldehyde, or what ever chemicals are used in manufacturing it.  You might want to coat them with a clear finish.  Water based finish like polyurethane should be pretty safe for birds.  I would think 3-4 days open, in a well ventilated place would be plenty time, after coating.  This would also make them last longer, and easier to clean.  If I remember correctly, Diamond Finish was the label name of the hardest floor finish I ever used, I'm not sure about the manufacturers name, but Lowe's, or Home Depot carries it.

  Also, if you bend a piece of aluminum soffit material around the inside of each corner to round it off, you might reduce some of the piling losses.  I just fasten them with the shortest drywall screws I can find, and grind off the points on the outside, if they come through.

[AA Plantation]

This will be the first and last season the boxes will be used in their current state. I was really not sure if my plans would work, that is why they are made of OSB. When all is done next spring i will rebuild them. Still all the 2x4s are treated and i know the hardware cloth will last a few years. It may be better and cheaper to rebuild them each year with the OSB. Fresh materials will keep any disease from forming. Will have to run the costs of everything and make sure the OSB holds up over the season.
I was looking for a cardboard insert to put in the boxes. found it just didn't get it in time. It should be here in the next couple of days.
This time i am also doing another experiment. We all know through the research that Tall Timbers and QU has done along with every major university in the south that pen-raised birds have no to low chance of reproducing in the wild. Some say that the hens won't sit on the eggs, while others say that too much inbreeding is at fault.
The chicks i picked up this time are special. Can't say no more.
I plan to release these and only hunt a few times Hopefully my est. math will be close.
2500 Chicks 250 per box this time
2000 at release may be better if i do a better job this time
1000 survive after the predators
200 die from SxS Shotguns
500 die from disease and more predators till May
Which leaves 300, Hopefully they will be close to 50/50
100-150 breeding pair
wild breeding 33% with full clutches of 15-20 birds
wild breeding 33% with half clutches 5-10 birds
wild breeding 34% complete mortality including parents
Should bring an estimated 925 birds
our wild coveys normally are 25-40 birds in Nov. down too 12-20 in Feb.
so i should end up with 23- 37 coveys of birds in this controlled experiment on 7500 acres. That equals about 1 covey per 200-310 acres
would now till next year in the fall.
I did however complete the CP-33 and WHIP Program reports for this year. My reports were so thorough that the state submitted them to Tall-Timbers. They came back with an estimate. The Estimates were in the CP-33 and WHIP combined areas on the farm land that i should have 1 covey per 60 acres and in the Timber Land i should have 1 covey per 250 acres. This Plantation is 25,500 acres 70/30 Timber and Farm Land.
71 coveys in the timber and 127 coveys on the farm land.
For a total of 198 coveys of wild quail on the place.
I have hunted close to 20% of the farm land and less than 2% of the timbers.
I think i have found about 65 wild coveys. It is hard to tell because the birds do move around a bunch. The 2500 acres of farm land i hunted the most  I know for sure that there are at least 22 coveys. May be close to 30. Never seen anymore than 22 per day in the farm land and surrounding timber.
Anyways i can't wait to wear out a couple of braces of Setters and put some shot in the air.
Can we please move November closer and make the winter stay longer.

   

[CharlieHorse]

Can we please move November closer and make the winter stay longer.

   

:eek:

That's a big............."NEGATIVE......NO CAN DO!".................on that winter idea, I'm not ready yet.   


Very impressive by the way.

[drwink]

I don't know Trailboussa, 92 here today & 95 tomorrow.
Kinda has me looking forward to the first frost.

Wally

[quailfarm7]

91 here in PA I am ready for it to cool off and hunting preserve season to start up. Ready to run my GSP and paying for feed for 15,000 quail is starting to get a little expensive. Ready to start to thin down my flock.

[magnumhntr]

I don't know Trailboussa, 92 here today & 95 tomorrow.
Kinda has me looking forward to the first frost.

Wally

Exactly. I've had enough of summer already. This has to be the hottest, dryest summer I can think of. I haven't  mowed the lawn since the end of May. And seeing as I live for bow hunting.... bring on October 1st.....

Chris

[MtBullion Gamebirds]

It was 102 here is Central CA.  I am sick of it.  Bring on Fall.