Well, I really thought I had it right

[muttsburg]

Last week I finally turned my 42 quail loose at 7 weeks old. I followed the directions here and at some of the other websites hoping they would do well. I caught them at night and put them in carry cages. The next morning we covered the cages, put out food for them at that site over 200 yards from the house in the right of way next to heavy thicket on the edge of the woods, between 2 creeks. I didn't use a call bird to keep them around because it was my hope that with over 800 acres surrounding us that they would just leave, be happy and multiply. They marched right past the food, went into the thicket and disappeared. I checked daily and the food was never touched so I figured they just kept going and never looked back. Good for them I thought.

This morning my husband came in from the garden and said "You won't believe this one". There next to where he was working was 8 or 9 quail "bee bopping" around picking bugs and seeds like they owned the place. Now, this is no more than 15 ft from the house and they are headed towards the chicken yard. There they set up camp for the day and then after a couple of hrs they walked up into the thickets to the woods behind the house. All I can figure is after spending all that time (4 weeks in their own coop and flight pen) 100 feet away from the chicken yard, even though they couldn't see them, they came back because the rooster crowing sounded familiarly like home, It will be interesting to see how many more show up.

It just never dawned on me that they had inprinted with the crow of the rooster they never saw. Mother Nature has strange ways  :roll:

[animalmaniac8]

hey muttsberg,

i had a similar experience with animals returning to something they could hear but never saw. it is very interesting to me to watch an animal that runs so wildly from you when in a pen but yet will come right to you when they have no restrictions. its like they understand who you are after they are alone. it is a nice feeling to have quail come back. good luck with them. hope you have a productive year.



         justin :!:

[muttsburg]

Hi Justin !

Your right, it's pretty cool for the most part. I worried about the cats. They are in and out cats and always visitd the quail at the flight pen. I didn't know how they would be with them and it turns out they just think they are small chickens and haven't bothered them at all. Not unusual to find the quail following the female cat around the yard.

I can hear the other quail in the evening so some have decided to be free, but these 5 greet me every morning when I pull in the driveway from working all night. I go right out and tend to the pheasants and they hang close for any food that I drop (of course most of it's on purpose) and several mornings I walked past them and they called to me like "Hey, Ma!! What about us!!"  Once they've had their morning feed they disappear for the day until evening picking up what the song birds have dropped from the 6 feeders I have.  I think these guys are in for the long haul

Norma