Things are starting to look up!

[Jeff]

Hello everyone,

Been awhile since I've posted, but I've been reading 

My last hatch is now 4 weeks old, I think...  Out of 100 eggs, and hatch, I have 63 birds that are so far still kicking.  I cured the theft problem with locks, no more missing birds.  I am now debating on getting day old birds or more eggs this next week.  I really hate the thought of incubating and having the hatch when it will be getting cold here in the night.  I figure if I get day old chicks and keep them under a heat lamp they will be good for when the cold hits.  If I do eggs, which I really like, it will be bad due to the weather.  I don't want to keep birds in my house.

Outside of work and school, I have all the material for new pens, which I need badly and no time to put them together.  I still have a 3' X 4' pen that is empty, but I would like to have another 200+ birds for spring.  Time for a larger cage, well cages I geuss.

My wife worked out a deal where I can hunt 380 acres and all I have to do is release 100 birds, and.....  I can put 2 cows on the property for a year without paying a lease!  Not too bad for 100 birds if I do say!  With that, I will have a total of almost 1500 acres total to hunt and fish! 

Ok, back to the bird topic.  100 eggs for $38.00 or day old chicks for $.53 each, depending on who's taking the payment.  For day old, they would be a little older when the cold weather hits, but more expensive.  Incubating, well, my kids really like watching the eggs and watching the hatch, but....  the birds will be little when the bad weather hits and mortality will be higher.  I don't know, I've kept new hatches in my house for 2 weeks before and I don't like it.

What would you all do?  I'm sorta at a coin toss.

Jeff

[slider]

I would go buy 100 16 week old quail and prep them for release and release them in groups of 25 2 weeks apart on different areas of the property.. buy them from the largest breeder you can find because those will be the wildest. Do not get them from a small breeder that has had constant contact with the birds.  Good luck and great find...

[Jeff]

Slider,

16 week old birds???  I'm not looking to release this year, next spring is when I will release.  My quail are in a pole barn, so sorta out of the elements, but very drafty, well hell, just plain breezy!  My girls have been telling me we need more "squishy's", chicks, so I'm looking for either hatch myself or day old.  Heck, the girls like watching the hatch so I'll more than likely just get eggs and keep baby's in the house for a couple weeks.  Geez, I hate to do that due to the smell.  Girls sure like to watch and handle their "squishy's" though.

Oh yea, I was a little off on my hunting rights....  I'm pushing close to 1000 acres!  Forgot about a few places!  Guess we'll have to aquire a taste for deer, yuck!

[slider]

Sorry I was under the impression you had to release 100 this year...

[Jeff]

Hey Slider,

No biggie!  I'm looking forward to this deal, very close to my house, ony about 10 miles.    I will let the birds go as we have an understanding, birds go in the spring, and if they don't make it....  Too bad, must be a cat or something problem.

[Reeves]

CharlieHorse had good luck releasing pairs all over his property during spring breeding season.

[CharlieHorse]

Reeves is correct.   I released 5-7 week olds in the spring for several years. The best, most successful release I ever did was with egg laying adults in the spring in pairs, released at different locations over a 400 acre area. My Golden Retreiver would always find them when I would take her over to the release property. This means you would have to have chicks this year and winter them. Depending.....it takes 18-24 weeks for them to start laying eggs.

If you're just wanting to fulfill your obligation with no concern of survival or reproduction then I would highly recommend doing what "slider" suggested and just buy adults in the spring.  The cost and mess of wintering that many birds (building larger pens) will far outweigh just purchasing them.  50 BW's will trash a 8x20 ground avairy in no time flat with manure.  If nothing else, hatch a smaller amount for the kids and just winter a few for yourself, then in the spring you'll be getting your own eggs for eating or hatching.  Or depending on where you live (spring comes in April here, but no vegetation, bugs, or decent cover usually until May), get your eggs around first of March and they'll be 5+ weeks old for a May release.  Although, eggs can be harder to find that time of year.

Good Luck!