For those of you who hatch quail, do you use a Bantay hen of an incubator?

When their hatched, do you let that hen raise them and then they fly off?

Or with the incubator place them in a pen for later release?
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Lots of questions. But I like to read what others have done to be successful.

Thanks for the information.

I'm thinking about the last of April to the first of May to raise some.

Anyone with suggestions WHO to purchasing eggs for hatch.

Have raised a few batches over the years, always used incubator.

Wife got 8 dozen for short money at local Amish auction last summer, and 50 or 60 made it.
She's been using them to train a bird dog.
Down to 20 or so now.

Few been laying all winter.
MIGHT save a couple dozen eggs and try hatching in incubator this summer.

DaveP: And when hatched, you put them in a pen?

No, kept them in a big box with a heat lamp on it for a few weeks.
Raised heat lamp a little at a time to gradually lower temp at their level to ambient

Quail are much like sheep. They die very easily.

DaveP: After they grow some and are able to get around, did you then put them in a pen?

How did you use them for training dogs? Do you put them in a captive holder?

Buckeye commercial incubator. 1000 at a time......use brooder indoors when hatching even in winter. The brooders have curtains the chicks can go in and out as the need arises as they grow. I had flight pens planted with various forage for pheasant,quail and wild turkey. Self feeders and waterers to keep human contact to a minimum and let the birds retain some wildness. I use to ship all across usa and was npip certified by state . When needing eggs I purchased thru gamebird association with posted hatchrates and also certified disease free.

I know they catch a disease from chickens very easily!
Kills them quick too.

What did you do with the wild turkeys?

I buy quail from a breeder for working a dog. Good flight birds can be hard to find. When I put the birds out - I put three or four in one spot. They often walk off up to a hundred yards away before we find them an hour or two later

Sold turkeys to hunt clubs and breeders