Raising quail to release?

[Intheswamp]

Armadillos and coyotes just about wiped them out around here. Back in the 50's, 60's, and early 70's my father bird hunted a good bit. In the vicinity of the homeplace was probably a dozen coveys scattered over a thousand acres or so (not all of it ours). As we started seeing armadillos creeping in and heard our first coyotes the bird population started dropping. Then, everybody decided they wanted to spray Round-Up anywhere they didn't have something currently growing. Fences...more and more electric fences were being used...it's a lot easier to round-up the fence-row than to sling-blade it.<sigh> Then the "everything has to be manicured" caught on with lots of people...more round-up. And, the whole time aerial crop spraying hit it's peak...poisoned bugs, seed, grit, water...aren't that healthy for birds. The Round-Up scorched-earth policy wiped out a lot of hedge-rows that supports/supported just an immense variety of wildlife and insect life. During that time the dillos and yotes showed up, kind of a coup de grace on the quail and other small native critters.

Quail were missing for a long time here. Then about two years ago I started running up on some. First a pair, then later on a small covy with 3-4 adults and about a half dozen or so chicks. The property is only used now for haying and pine tree growth...lots of brush and weeds...definitely not manicured. But, there are still lots of dillos and yotes around. Maybe time is on the side of the quail. If I see them, time is definitely not on the side of those predators.

Overhunting? I think there was more ominous reasons for the quails demise.

Ed

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I know what hawks and coyotes had to do with it but how did armadillos contribute to the decline of the quail population??

 

[Pineapple]

Armadillos are one of zillions of animals which eat quail eggs, and their range has expanded tenfold in the last 50 years.

In Kentucky, hunting field trials (with dogs) use bobwhite quail and at the end if there are any quail left over they're often just dumped out on the ground and set free. That said, there is not a large population in Kentucky even though this goes on all the time.

I have been there on the last day of field trials and seen several people each dump a bag of quail out which contains ten or twenty or more quail. In total there have to be thousands released every year that way just because they're not needed and the people don't want to take them home.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Far as I knew they dig in the ground and eat grubs & worms, never heard of them eating eggs.

 

[Pineapple]

Lots of animals that wouldn't "normally" eat eggs will eat them if they stumble upon them. I wouldn't be totally shocked if you put a pile of fresh eggs out near deer feed and a deer tasted them. lol

 

[BaJa]

I'm new at this and I've got some young quail and I was wondering at what age I should release them.

5 weeks works the best