Hatching for Release...

[SteveR]

Okay.. First off..  and I know nothing about incubating/hatching or raising quail. I am not looking to get into this large scale, or for profit....... I grew up on a small < 100 acre cattle farm in southern West Virginia but now live in Kentucky. My father is retired and spends most evenings sitting on his porch watching the deer and turkey feed in his pastures and hay fields. He was an avid outdoorsman, but age has now taken its toll and he cant get out like he used to to enjoy the woods and property around his farm.

I am thinking/wanting to try and incubate and hatch some bobwhite to release on his farm. Not to hunt, but just for him to maybe possibly encounter, observe, listen to and enjoy.

First off.. is this idea even remotely possible, or would I be wasting my time?

If possible... I do not have large amounts of extra money so I am looking for the most affordable way to do this. Could someone recommend a decent incubator, to possibly try to hatch between 20-30 quail at a time?

Also, If I were to hatch them here in Kentucky, could they be raised in my garage until they were of age to be transported and released on my Dads farm in West Virginia? How old would they need or have to be in order to be released and have a chance to make it on their own? How much expense time and maintenance do they require after hatching? What would be their chances for survival (-predators) after release?

I am wanting to do this several times over the course of the next few years until I can re-introduce several hundred quail (20- 30) at a time  back onto the property surrounding my Dads Farm...

Please dont bash me if I am way off here... As mentioned before.. I know nothing about this. It was just something that I thought I might enjoy doing, and at the same time bring my father some enjoyment as well.

Any help, advice, would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

[setterman]

Steve,
As with any living animal they all require a good bit of time and expense,it is nice to hear bobwhites calling and seeing them for your enjoyment!
If you wanted to get started I would suggest a gqf foam incubator with automatic turning think they cost around 179.00,get the quail eggs racks which hold,if I remember right 120 eggs!
They are a joy to raise but the chicks take alot of attention!
I release my birds between 6 and 7 weeks!....Yes you will have predator problems!

[skyles creek]

Sent you a PM

[alan vallejo]

hi i breed bob whites in mexico, and a lot of my clients realese them, the best age i found is about 5 to 7 weeks, just after leaving the controled temp, the only thing i do is that after the 2nd week i try to stop manage the chicks the water and feed is suplied externaly and in my experience this make the birds kind of more wild once you free them, another thing y recomend is to install a litle fly pen to acomodate the newly arive at your fathers farm for at least 3 days. and put some palces whith water and feed around the property so the quails stay around till they get use to the sorrounds.
hope this info can help you.

[WildMountainBoy]

I see that it has been a while since you made this thread. But if you are still looking here is my 2 cents.
a little giant incubator will do just fine If you don't want to turn the eggs at least 3 times a day by hand invest a bit more to get an automatic turner. Humidity is key in incubating so make sure you study up.

Brooding is the tricky part I used a basic chick starter with my first brood and I lost all but 8 out of 72 hatchlings because of the corn content, it is very harsh on their systems. A game bird/ wild bird starter is a must.

Also proper ventilation in the brooder will give you healthier chicks from the get go. Poor ventilation can cause respiratory and immune system development problems, and with young quail they need breaks they can catch.

If you are wanting the quail to localize near the house on the property you can try to keep them in a coop for a few weeks before release. Pick a good spot make sure it is somewhat predator resistant and keep it stocked with plenty of food and fresh water. Make it decorative so if fits into your aesthetic even. Once the quail are quite comfortable in their coop open it up and let them come and go.

 They won't always come back to the coop for shelter but as with any wild bird they will remember a good food source. They should visit from time to time and become locals.

My Houdini quail always return to the coop a few days later sometimes I find them just wondering around outside looking for a way back into the coop.       

I hope this helps. If you have already been doing your thing what have you learned for yourself? Do you have any knowledge to share?

[slider]

Welcome to TQP good to have you with us...

[thekid]

Brinsea makes a good incubator, you will get a 90% hatch rate bout every time if you got fertile eggs

[coldwetnoz]

I just found this thread and I hope it's still open for comment.  I am not hatching eggs (yet) but I ordered 100 day olds a few weeks ago.  The plan was to release them in about Sep or Oct.  Arriving home Monday from a trip into town, I discovered that something had broken in my pen and slaughtered all the quail.   In broad daylight.   My husband helped clean them up and I was in the dumps the rest of the day.      Later, seven quails walked back up to the house, looking for their mates.  Apparently, they managed to fly away before being eaten.  I caught them and now with seven quail, I have changed my plan to just raise these 7 and see what happens next spring.  I need all the advice I can get on parent raising now.

We are currently fixing up another cage that we feel will be predator proof.   Does anybody have any luck with parent raising?   I did it with button quail once and of course, they kill the babies as soon as they hatch if you can't remove them and the mother.

One more thing, any ideas what could have removed a heavy lid, squeezed inside and killed all my quail?  I think they ate their full, then just killed the rest for sport.  As I said in broad daylight just yards from my back door.

Thank goodness for the lucky 7!

Thanks

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

I can't help you with the quail, I am strictly pheasants, but if you can't or don't know what, or who, is killing the birds, put up a trail cam.

I had this problem over the 2012 fall season only to find a rogue Great Horned Owl killing 35 cock birds in a three month period, and then in March 2013 one male mink killing 8 cock birds. So trail cams do work.

Good luck!

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm