releasing bobwhite

[amissmosely]

 

we have 13 bobwhites that will be 6 weeks old next week.

i have been reading everything i can on releasing them to the wild, but theres not much info out there.

if anyone could give me any tips, i'd be very thankful.

its been about 40 degrees at night for the last couple of weeks, is that too cold for them?

also, i've read conflicting info on whether or not to leave food and water at the release site. if i do, will it discourage them from finding their own. or if i don't leave food will they starve, seeing as they've never had to fend for themselves.

another thing...
should we leave them a shelter at the release site, or not.

some people say that preditors will pick up the sent of the shelter and the birds will be sitting ducks... or should i say sitting quail.   

other people have said to release them early in the day so they can find their own shelter. but does this really give them enough protection for their first night in the wild?

thank you for any help you can offer.
 
amy

[CharlieHorse]

Here's some of my experience.

Give them shelter...............they'll never step foot in it.

Give them food...........they'll never touch it.

Waste of time.

The only way that I can see either one working is if the shelter and or feeder was used while they where growing and they would recognize it as home and a source of food. Then of course, they'll be in strange surroundings and more than likely never find it. A Johnny house type setup would be the only way to provide shelter and food in my experiences.

Have the birds been without supplemental heat for some time?   Have they been wet, out in the rain with no heat?  Have you been giving them wild bird seed or something that resembles "wild" food?  Vegetation?

Got to go...add more later............     

[CharlieHorse]

other people have said to release them early in the day so they can find their own shelter. but does this really give them enough protection for their first night in the wild?

Release them early.....forget the shelter. The only way you'd get them to hang out in a shelter for more than 2-3 seconds would be to put a leash on them.  My penned BW's won't even get in the shelter.

Being in a new enviroment, they'd walk right through a dump truck load of bird seed and keep right on truckin'.

I'd split them up.....6 in one release site and 7 in another, a fairly good distance from the others.  They should be ok if all the following requirements (as questioned prior) where met as far as the 40* nights are concerned:

Have the birds been without supplemental heat for some time (week or more)?  Have they been wet, out in the rain with no heat?  Have you been giving them wild bird seed or something that resembles "wild" food?  Vegetation?

If foul weather is in the immediate forecast during or following release...........I'd hold off for better weather.

Whatever you take them in to release site, some say to just open the door and then get back and plan on setting there for a while and let them come out on there own...easily.  I use boxes with doors cut on three sides, left attached on one side for hinge and vent holes cut, tape the door shut with duct tape. When I get to release sight, I practically kick them out.  I don't see any advantage on letting them "come out easy" on there own. I don't even set the box down, I open the door and they'll sometimes fly out of the opening straight up over the tree tops, that way I get them spread out since they should be split up this time of year anyway. In the fall I would probably let them come out easy in a group to keep the covey together.

Good Luck

[wildergamebirds]

  I just open one end of the cage and dump them out in a weed patch, even in Fall.  Although I dump larger groups in the fall.  I do put out 2-3 pounds of feed out for 20 bird groups.  Again, this is in heavy cover, where they won't move as far, as fast.

  Apparently you haven't been on for quite a while, though I remember seeing you on some time back.  Have you been raising these birds, but not reading about conditioning, while they were growing? Shame shame shame.

  Besides that, everything CharlieHorse said!

[CharlieHorse]

After reading another thread which mentioned birds needing lighting, I thought that I would bring this up too...............

After around the second week of age, I will start turning off any lighting in the brooder at night, every night. (I heat with baseboard heater). Turning off lighting takes alot of "pecking time" away from them too. They're not up running around 24/7 in the woods. My point is, has your birds also been exposed to total darkness at night for at least a week or more?  If some of the previously mentioned measures and this one haven't been taken, I would start today and wait to release them a week from now (7 weeks)...........plus it may warm up some and the males should start showing the white?   I've also taken them and split some up in seperate pens about a week prior to release.......then they are not all "buddies" when released.

Expose them to more natural foods, soak them down on a warm sunny days, no supplemental lighting, and no heat whatsoever.

Try to provide them with what they'll have to deal with in a natural setting, I start as early as possible during the brooding stage.