Can quail be tamed enough to free-range?

[Oblio13]

How about if not all of them are let out of the coop?

I was thinking about letting out at least the excess males and hoping they'll stick around and forage on our unlimited supply of Japanese beetles.

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Check with your states department of fish and game. Up here its illegal to release quail in to the wild.

 

[brooster]

These are Japanese quail right? They will not survive on their own,it is illegal in some states, but i let our males go anyways, they just get eaten by hawks, nothing better to do with male japanese quail anyway, they will kill your hens.

 

[Omniskies]

Nothing better to do with the males? Quail is incredibly tasty.

Either way, we don't let our quail loose, but if they get loose they will stick around. When some of mine have escaped they will hang around the cages and sleep in the grass right outside the barn. We always catch them and put them back in the cages since we have a problem with predators.

If you don't mind losing some to hawks you can definitely do this. I don't think they will all come back to their pen when it gets dark, but you never know. Maybe feeding them at dusk inside the pen will do the trick.

If you try it I'd love to know how it turns out.

PS: For Japanese Beetles get a couple Muscovies. Our grapes are thriving this year and the only damage to the leaves is way above the reach of the bill

PPS: Are jumbo quail even large enough to eat Japanese Beetles?

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

Plan the same thing. I have 40 coturnix juveniles and plan to cull the extra males for some good old bbq.

 

[brooster]

they are not big enough to eat jap beatles, i dont bother eating them, i usually only have one or two to get rid of, and find it eaiser to take them down the road, i dont let them out here, i lure the hawks away from my place.

 

[MissPrissy]

I have applied for a permit from the state of Va. It is okay to release them here they take the stance it is highly doubtful they survive on their own.

 

[Ace_king_brahma]

If you really want to get rid of jap beetles get some guineas. Quail mostly eat grasshoppers, crickets. As far as big insects they only really eat soft bodied bugs.

 

[MissPrissy]

Oh, as far as free range - most likely when you let them out you won't catch them without some effort if at all if they are like all the other quail I have seen.

 

[poultrykeeper08]

i have a friend who free ranges her bobwhites . They stay friendly too . i couldnt believe i when i went to her house to get some wood ducks and mandarins . I was walking to her coop and out of a bush popped a bobwhite and i go i think you have a loose quial and she goes oh no i have 30 that free range . She then took a hand full of feed squatted down and the whole flock came from every witch direction and started eating from her hand . It was a cool site to see !