Quails free ranging

[australorp man]

Is it a good Idea to let your quail free range and/or is it a good idea.

 

[workindog]

Everything I've read is that once you let your quail free, thats exactly what they'll be. Free! They wont come back

 

[JaeG]

Quail can't free range. They have no homing instinct like a chicken or pigeon. They just go where the wanderlust takes them. People build them pens to go over a raised garden bed or range them in a glass house but that's as close to free range as you can give them.

 

[rita2paul]

would be nice to let them roam around the garden, but like everyone said, they will be off.

 

[laughingdog]

I've free ranged my corturnix quail with one line always came back daily from field and woods, where the other line maybe just came call of other quail or me chickens pigeons doves parrots following them in after days or longer gone for.
Hand tame them to treats petting dust bathing etc before release in netted/fenced area at first for week to month. Some strains will go off for month returning with chicks even though supposedly won't, so your warned..

 

[Binki]

I've free ranged my corturnix quail with one line always came back daily from field and woods, where the other line maybe just came call of other quail or me chickens pigeons doves parrots following them in after days or longer gone for.
Hand tame them to treats petting dust bathing etc before release in netted/fenced area at first for week to month. Some strains will go off for month returning with chicks even though supposedly won't, so your warned..

I could see this being possible - having a special treat call for them to gather them to a safe place for the night because they don't naturally return like a chicken would.

Let me tell you.. I give my pet group kissy noises before I give them treats - it gets their attention (they turn into vicious little competitive monsters haha) and it's the ONLY time they ever try and jump out, and that's only to get the treat, not run away

The reaction I get just from a kissy noise (they don't see the treat but know one is coming) I could see them running to me out in the yard but I have free range chickens and a Hawks nest about 100 feet away and those Hawks love to try and get the smaller birds (even when I'm several feet away) so I wouldn't risk it myself.

 

[laughingdog]

They came to treat n feed calls, bit some just came in on own closed up before bed, others stayed out in brush n grass etc woods, coming in mingling during day, sometimes staying unseen for months coming back with chicks