using pen raised quail
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:09 am
In the article "Pen Raised Quail for Training Bird Dogs", Frank Thompson says when using call-back pen birds, "never plant them".
http://www.fieldtrialpointers.net/penraised.html
My total experience with birds so far is 4 chukar that I bought, lost two trying to get them out of the box to plant, then planted one that we never found by the time I got back with the dog, then planted one in a small patch of cover in the middle of an open field that I never took my eyes off of and still never found it....so I'm as green as they come to this. I now have 100 quail I'm getting ready to move from my brooder to a flight pen. I planned on installing a callback cone. My question (or at least the first one) is 'why not plant them'? And what is my other option? Other than planting the quail, how do I get them out to train with.
I also have a pigeon trap out and expect (hope) to have my first pigeons prior to the quail being ready to use. If I'm successful trapping pigeons, I'll probably use some that will be one use birds, but eventually will get a pigeon house built and leave them long enough to re-home.
My Brittany is 6 months - his total exposure to birds is letting him sniff at one of the chukar before planting it, letting him play with a dead grouse that a friend donated (I just let him run around with it and have fun, then picked it up and re-froze it before he got chewy).
Any advice on how to approach my two bird options above would be appreciated.
http://www.fieldtrialpointers.net/penraised.html
My total experience with birds so far is 4 chukar that I bought, lost two trying to get them out of the box to plant, then planted one that we never found by the time I got back with the dog, then planted one in a small patch of cover in the middle of an open field that I never took my eyes off of and still never found it....so I'm as green as they come to this. I now have 100 quail I'm getting ready to move from my brooder to a flight pen. I planned on installing a callback cone. My question (or at least the first one) is 'why not plant them'? And what is my other option? Other than planting the quail, how do I get them out to train with.
I also have a pigeon trap out and expect (hope) to have my first pigeons prior to the quail being ready to use. If I'm successful trapping pigeons, I'll probably use some that will be one use birds, but eventually will get a pigeon house built and leave them long enough to re-home.
My Brittany is 6 months - his total exposure to birds is letting him sniff at one of the chukar before planting it, letting him play with a dead grouse that a friend donated (I just let him run around with it and have fun, then picked it up and re-froze it before he got chewy).
Any advice on how to approach my two bird options above would be appreciated.