I let my Bob whites go

[bald Rooster]

Two years ago I got some Bob white eggs with a brooder. So I hatched them and the next season i hatched about 80 of there eggs.
I could not eat them. So I cut a small hole in my run and let them come and go as they wanted.At first they hung around but soon they paired up and almost all of them vanished. I have 4 hens and 2 roosters left when I sealed the hole. I see a few from time to time in the brush and I know some have survived. As a matter fact I found 2 hens and a roster in my turkey run today(it has holes quail can come and go out of and eat if they are hungry)
My Quail are not wild and are kind of dumb.they are not scared of humans at all.I am hoping to repopulate my area as we used to have a few wild ones. I think the Foxes and coyotes may have killed them all off, or maybe the cats.
Has anyone had success repopulating or am I just feeding the wildlife?

 

[Fishkeeper]

So, you took animals with no experience surviving in the wild, not descended recently from wild stock, with no practice in avoiding predators or finding food, and you dumped them into the wilderness?
Those quail have all been eaten. You are not part of any sort of repopulation effort by people who actually know what they're doing when it comes to repopulation, so you shouldn't act like you are.
Don't get animals when you aren't prepared to either let them live out their natural lives or end their lives. Don't release captive animals, even if they're a species that used to be native. Not only do you doom the animals you release, you risk introducing pathogens from other areas into your native environment.
If you didn't take it out of the wild in that exact area, don't put it into the wild.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

I agree with @Fishkeeper , but I'm sure you were trying to do something good.. but I would not advise it again.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

So, you took animals with no experience surviving in the wild, not descended recently from wild stock, with no practice in avoiding predators or finding food, and you dumped them into the wilderness?
Those quail have all been eaten. You are not part of any sort of repopulation effort by people who actually know what they're doing when it comes to repopulation, so you shouldn't act like you are.
Don't get animals when you aren't prepared to either let them live out their natural lives or end their lives. Don't release captive animals, even if they're a species that used to be native. Not only do you doom the animals you release, you risk introducing pathogens from other areas into your native environment.
If you didn't take it out of the wild in that exact area, don't put it into the wild.

 

[CoturnixComplex]

Two years ago I got some Bob white eggs with a brooder. So I hatched them and the next season i hatched about 80 of there eggs.
I could not eat them. So I cut a small hole in my run and let them come and go as they wanted.At first they hung around but soon they paired up and almost all of them vanished. I have 4 hens and 2 roosters left when I sealed the hole. I see a few from time to time in the brush and I know some have survived. As a matter fact I found 2 hens and a roster in my turkey run today(it has holes quail can come and go out of and eat if they are hungry)
My Quail are not wild and are kind of dumb.they are not scared of humans at all.I am hoping to repopulate my area as we used to have a few wild ones. I think the Foxes and coyotes may have killed them all off, or maybe the cats.
Has anyone had success repopulating or am I just feeding the wildlife?

Yikes....terrible idea. Yes, 99% will be eaten, and the ones that aren't are the bane of fish and game wardens everywhere (they are "captive strain" and of NO USE in repopulation efforts unless guided by local wildlife biologists, and in addition to that raising them in highly concentrated environments in captivity and then turning them loose is exactly how you decimate wild populations with captive-incubated strains of disease).

Please never get animals you wont take proper responsibility for again. Releasing them into the wild is not "proper responsibility". I would report you if you were my neighbor, good intentions be darned. Next time ask this question before you proceed to do it.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

As everyone else has pointed out: this was very irresponsible. Not only for the birds welfare but also the biome of your area. Domesticated bobwhites are too far removed from their wild cousins. To reintroduce a species to your biome you need wild bobwhite that is raised in a rehabilitation setting (little interaction as possible). Even then, some wild populations cannot be reintroduced once cared for. This only invites prolific predation of the bobwhite and any other fauna that is in the biome. You releasing the domesticated bobwhite might have detrimentally affected your local wildlife.

 

[bald Rooster]

#1 as I stated the wild ones in my area are gone.(you have no idea were i live)
#2 how do you know I don't have a wild strain?(these came from GQF and I believe they are a wild strain sold for hunters to release)
# 3 the ones I turned loose are still coming and going at my coops. I have some of the loose ones in my turkey run this morning.
I also see my birds in my brush regularly. I have let over a acre over grow for them.
My neighbors have been seeing them also.
I did forget to mention I had 6 roosters that got out a year ago,I could not reintegrate them into the caged quail. they were basically wild after being free for a year.
When I let the rest out they stopped coming to the run, I'm sure they are teaching few hens the ropes.
The truth is I was hoping you would pick up on the part about them pairing up and disappearing . Not bashing me for letting My quail run free on My land..I have my quail all over right now.

I still appreciate your comments thank you.

 

[bald Rooster]

As everyone else has pointed out: this was very irresponsible. Not only for the birds welfare but also the biome of your area. Domesticated bobwhites are too far removed from their wild cousins. To reintroduce a species to your biome you need wild bobwhite that is raised in a rehabilitation setting (little interaction as possible). Even then, some wild populations cannot be reintroduced once cared for. This only invites prolific predation of the bobwhite and any other fauna that is in the biome. You releasing the domesticated bobwhite might have detrimentally affected your local wildlife.

You make is sound as if I took my birds to some wild life area and dumped them out. This is far from reality! I have some land and I just let my birds run free on my land!

 

[bald Rooster]

Yikes....terrible idea. Yes, 99% will be eaten, and the ones that aren't are the bane of fish and game wardens everywhere (they are "captive strain" and of NO USE in repopulation efforts unless guided by local wildlife biologists, and in addition to that raising them in highly concentrated environments in captivity and then turning them loose is exactly how you decimate wild populations with captive-incubated strains of disease).

Please never get animals you wont take proper responsibility for again. Releasing them into the wild is not "proper responsibility". I would report you if you were my neighbor, good intentions be darned. Next time ask this question before you proceed to do it.

There is no wild population. trust me

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

You make is sound as if I took my birds to some wild life area and dumped them out. This is far from reality! I have some land and I just let my birds run free on my land!

You can not contain those birds to just “your land”. That is an irresponsible answer to an irresponsible action.