Madison COunty
New member
Do any of you raise your own quail for training your dogs or do you buy them if you use quail? I have been thinking about raising some of my own for training. Any tips or advice? Thanks!
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Pen raised quail
- Thread starter Madison COunty
- Start date
I did it about twentyfive years ago. Had breeders and set 100 eggs a week. Got about 60-70% successful hatch with incubator that held three hundred eggs, and a hatcher of same capacity. In one spring and summer I had enough birds to eat me out of house and home. It was a lot of work, feeding, watering , heating and lights and acquiring equipment plus feed, a flight pen, etc.,etc., etc. Are you getting the picture? I practically gave away about 500 birds just to get rid of them! Unless you make it a business, and work it hard, you'd be money ahead to build a small flight pen and buy a quantity of birds for training a dog or two. I was like the farmer thaty won the lotto and when asked what he was going to do with the 5 million$ he replied, "Well, I been farmin' all my life, and I recon I just keep on 'til it's all gone! I have had to put new wire on my flight pen but I still use it and keep a few just to train with. I really think if you have a source anywhere close, that'd be the way to go. My $0.02 and worth what you paid for it. Johnny houses might also be good for you. Serious dog trainers usually have a pigeon coop as well.
Madison COunty
New member
Chicks
I am not talking about raising thousands of birds, maybe a hundred or two. Right now I buy bobwhite quail for $4.50 each. I can buy chicks for $1.50each so I thought I might be better off to try and raise my own for training. Also I do not have any ground to train my dog on my property so I cannot have a recall pen. I have to go to a public area 6 miles from my house.
Today I bought 6 birds ( $27 ) and I ended up leaving 2 live ones in the field somewhere.
Option #2 build a small quail home/pen and just buy 50 or so and use them for training until I need more and just keep buying them from my supplier.
I am not talking about raising thousands of birds, maybe a hundred or two. Right now I buy bobwhite quail for $4.50 each. I can buy chicks for $1.50each so I thought I might be better off to try and raise my own for training. Also I do not have any ground to train my dog on my property so I cannot have a recall pen. I have to go to a public area 6 miles from my house.
Today I bought 6 birds ( $27 ) and I ended up leaving 2 live ones in the field somewhere.
Option #2 build a small quail home/pen and just buy 50 or so and use them for training until I need more and just keep buying them from my supplier.
How old are the chicks? If Day old they will need a brooder and heat to survive. I had a building with heat to keep them in until they were about seven weeks old, if I remember correctly. I have no Idea about how you are set up. One trick I learned from necessity was that when releasing a "new" crop of young birds into the flight pen or coop or wherever you are going to house the birds, and there are other birds in the pen, was to put the new one into a small pet carrier and slip in in the dark quietly, open the door on the carrier and set it down on the floor/ground and back out quietly. Next morning when they all wake up together, they will be calm. If you we to release some new birds into a pen with others... the others will chase the newcomers down and kill them! Do it after dark, quietly and you can get by with it though. I think you would be better off buying birds rtather than setting and hatching. I had jumbo wisconsins and they weighed almosta pound and they could eat a lot of food. You can google and get lots of info and see places to order equipment etc. PM me if you'd like to talk and I will get my no to you. I have Dr appointments and surgery in my near future for a tumor in my colon. Might take me a while to get back to you. I was planning to come to S.D. for a hunt or two next week, but a routine colonoscopy said I needed surgery ! Bummer. Might get to come later though! Good Lord willing!