Pigeons or Bobwhites preferable for training?

[AzDoggin]

I'm in the city but have a good sized yard. I had been planning to get pigeons again once new pup is here and the time comes, but from what I've read, Bobwhite Quail are just about as easy to raise and keep. Bobwhites are not native to the desert in AZ, so no problem with permits.

Which bird is easier to keep, handle, work, and train dogs with? I'd prefer the quail - from what I understand the eggs are quite good to eat. What do you folks say?

[jb03]

And so are the birds...

[AzDoggin]

And so are the birds...

Yeah. Definitely not into pigeon pie, dang tree rats. Pigeons are free, easily available, pretty hardy, and who cares if you happen to hurt one of them. I just wondered whether the quail will hold up to handling, being tied up, wings clipped, launched from the launcher and so on. If so, there's my choice, I'd say.

[Keny Glasscock]

Pigeons are much cheaper and easier to keep. Quail are just looking for a reason to die on ya. My preference is start with pigeons and then transition to game birds.

[mm]

The problem with raising bobs for me is they take a good 16 to 18 weeks before they are good to use. I have limited space and its just to long for me. I still raise some but also raise the tibetian quail which are full grown in 8 weeks. I have hatched these birds and gotten eggs from them in the same season. To answer the question I find both birds easy to raise and keep the more space the better. Downside they smell.
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[AZ Brittany Guy]

Pigeons are easier to keep. You can teach them to home, they don't smell as bad and if you mess up training your dog you are not doing it on a game bird.

[AzDoggin]

Pigeons are easier to keep. You can teach them to home, they don't smell as bad and if you mess up training your dog you are not doing it on a game bird.

That might be a good reason right there - more forgiving for training purposes. After all, it's not the dogs who mess up training as much as the dang trainers!

I'm surprised about the stink that quail make. That certainly would be a factor, too, with a nesting box in the yard (next to our outdoor kitchen area

[RayGubernat]

AZhusker -

I prefer to use pigeons on young dogs that are not dead broke. The main reason for that is a pigeon, once airborne, will NOT land on the ground, so there is virtually zero chance that a dog can catch a pigeon once it is in the air.

As mentioned, if the dog gets soured on pigeons, it most often has zero effect on the dog's performance on gamebirds. From a training perspective...hat is huge.

Pigeons are waaaay hardier and easier to keep, if you do not have facilities. I have kept 8-10 birds in an old dog crate for 2-3 weeks and they were fine. Don't try that with quail. The few quail that might survive won't fly for squat.

RayG

[Greg Jennings]

Pigeons! Pen quail are the root of all evil.

[postoakshorthairs]

Pigeons! Pen quail are the root of all evil.

Agree! The only way i have luck with quail is to keep them in a call back pen so you can rotate them out and let them stretch their wings and fly. The ones i have used that have been in a small pen have been crappy flyers and set you up for problems when they land where the dog can catch them....or worse yet don't flush/fly at all.

[AzDoggin]

I am persuaded. Pigeons it shall be. Thanks for all the information, folks!!

Edit: just came across this article: http://www.thecheckcord.com/archives/cbirds.html

Once your birds are in flying shape, sounds like this would be an awesome way to simulate birds in the wild.

[Grange]

I keep quail and my dad has pigeons. My biggest problem with the quail I have (I don't raise the only keep them in a johnny house and replenish when empty) is that they tend to be poorer flying birds. Within the last week my setter has caught three of them (one while she way running after our training day, one that got out as I was feeding the birds and one that escaped from the recall pen as I was getting ready to go train). This lead to her creeping in on the bird and not even pointing. She is on a checkcord again and I went back to pigeons, which she can't catch. After two pigeons she is pointing again.

I'll be doing another session on with pigeons. If all goes well she'll be back on quail within the next few weeks and then if the weather cooperates it's out to find the woodcock and grouse before her first trial this spring.

[AZ Brittany Guy]

If you compete your dog in Field Trials there will come a time when you have to train on quail. In my opinion it should only come when your dog is steady as a rock on pigeons. As a Field Trialer, you want to duplicate the enviornment of a Trial as much as posible.

[mm]

The quail flying problem has always been a problem for me also. I have had some luck with them using a johnny house with the food and water on different levels but it can still be hit or miss. Some fly great and others just hop. The thing is that I have had the same results with the quail planted at field trials so I like to train for what they will see at the trial. I wish I could figure a way to get them to fly good all the time. Chuckers seem to be better but take up more space, I just dont have the room. I do like pigeons and the homers were great I could let them go 40 miles away and they would come home, a racoon killed them on me though and I never could get anymore. If you can get good pigeons and they home I think it will be easier overall you can keep less birds and use less space.
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