August 16th, 2011
Last fall I began talking with Jim Evans about working up a system based on his Less Mess Johnny House Feeder and Water System for the Phantom Quail Kennel. The system would be different in that it would need to serve 50 grown quail for a period of 4-6 weeks and also serve to seperate compartments.
The Many Ports Feeder and 18 gallon nipple water reservoir
After several conversations on the telephone I sent Jim a completed unit minus the feed and water system. After months of testing, designing, research, and good old fashioned trial and error I received in the mail the #2 prototype. He implemented his already proven many ports feeder and added an extension and hanging bracket. A little scrap of vinyl flooring was added to keep dropped feed from being lost through the wire floor. This feature while simple almost eradicated feed waste as the birds will by force of nature pick up a dropped morsel of feed. He also molded an 18 gallon reservoir and added two drinking nipples along with a heavy duty bracket. 
As for the recall section of the Phantom Quail Kennel there were some space limitations for the Less Mess Johnny House System. This proved to be no sweat for Jim as he went right to work and retrofitted a new version that fits perfectly into the recall section and provides adequate nourishment for recall birds that may be in for a lengthy stay in the recall section. These “Little Less Mess” systems will also be standard equipment on my new DIY quail recall pens and pigeon lofts being offered this fall.
The "Little Less Mess"
These systems will be available in the near future from Quality Wildlife Systems. http://www.qualitywildlife.com/
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August 13th, 2011
The DIY Quail Recall Pen / Covey Release House
Over the last couple of years many customers have been requesting a smaller do-it yourself (DIY) quail recall pen and also the same in a pigeon loft. There are many folks that need more than a recall cage, but are not necessarily ready for a 4×4 or 4×8 full size quail recall pen. There are also many private landowners that would like to have a release house that provides pre-season release quail a place to settle in with feed, water, and safety. The unit needed to have several key features:
- Portability (less than 100#s)
- Low maintenance (Quality Wildlife Services Less Mess Feed & Water System)
- Durability (Made of signabond aluminum veneer pvc sheeting)
- Ease of Construction (Assembles with only a cordless drill in a few hours)
- Affordability (delivered to your door via UPS for under $500)
I have been working with Jim Evans of Quality Wildlife Services this past year in helping me to bring this product to the forefront. I explained the DIY concept to Jim and have been using his Less Mess Feed and Water Systems in the 4×4 Johnny House. His product works superbly in the 4×4 but is a little large for the DIY model. He modified his system and made it available and is now working like a champ.
The "Little Less Mess"
The DIY Quail Recall Pen / Covey Release House is dynamite in a small package. It comes with the spring loaded varmint resistant funnel and the kit is totally complete. After assembly all that is needed is feed, water, and 20-25 bobwhite quail. There will be no trips to the hardware store or lumber yard with this kit. All that is needed is a cordless drill, a #2 philips tip and a little Saturday morning elbow grease.
Stay tuned for more details. There are some prototypes going out to anxious customers in the next two weeks to make sure we have all of the details worked out to provide yet another quailty product for Sportsman across America. The prototype DIY pigeon loft will make an appearance here in the next week of so as well. Both products should be available October 2011.
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November 16th, 2010
Successful quail recall pens don’t happen by accident. You must prepare to succeed. Here are some key factors in making the best of your quail recall pen.
Settle your birds
In order for the birds to want to recall they need to know that their home has all of the ammenities they require for safety, health, companionship, and comfort. The birds you buy have likely been captured from a flight pen of several hundred to a thousand birds. Stock your birds and give them a quality prepared feed and plenty of fresh, clean drinking water. Leave the birds in the recall pen for 7-10 days and more if you have the time. This settling period allows the birds to form a covey and learn where feed, water, and their friends hang out.
Walk before you fly
When you are training any animal it is always better to go slowly and increase obstacles in small learnable lessons. The main goal of the initial release is only to get the birds out of the pen and looking for a way back in. I prefer to open a side door and walk out 5-7 birds and quietly close and latch the door behind them. I will then leave the area so not to disturb the birds. The next day at the same time take an inventory and the birds will likely have returned if they have been settled properly.
Repetition, repetition , repetition
Again with the fundamentals, after the initial liberation, repeat this process in small groups until all birds have been walked out and have found their way back in through the recall funnel.
It’s time to fly
Now that we have mastered how to leave the pen and come back in for feed, water, and safety. Liberate the birds by flying or flushing them from the recall pen in small groups just as before until all birds have been flown and recalled successfully. This process is easier if your recall pen has a seperate recall section.
Endeavor to perservere
Cheif Dan George said this in the movie Outlaw Josey Wales. If you put in the initial preparations you will be rewarded with a season of reliable birds that can make a young dog into a real bird dog.
The real world
Bobwhite Quail are no different than any other animal. The more experience you have with them the easier this process is to master. You may find birds that take to the recall faster and others slower and you will get a group that just doesn’t want to cooperate. Remember, that there are teams of state wildlife agencies trying to unlock the mysteries of this bird and struggle to find answers. Be patient and enjoy the birds first and the bird dogs will be the fruits of your labor.
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November 3rd, 2010
Here is a good low pressure water system that is available from Foy’s Pigeon Supplies. The Foyamatic drinker #2079.
www.foyspetsupplies.com
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June 22nd, 2010
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June 11th, 2010
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April 19th, 2010
When the squab hatch; make a note of the date and it will be time to put an identification band on between day 5 and 8. All that is needed is a round toothpick and some racing pigeon bands available from Foy’s Pigeon Supplies.
Next, slip the band over the front three toes as far as it will go exposing the fourth toe joint.
Now, insert the toothpick into the fourth toe joint and pry it out of the band.
And now you have a banded pigeon, be sure to keep an eye on the band for a day or two to make sure it doesn’t get removed in the nest.
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March 27th, 2010
Every 12-16 weeks it is necessary to move your quail recall pen to some fresh ground and away from the accumulated quail droppings. The droppings can cause a number of problems like respiratory issues and coccidiosis that can kill the birds.
This task can be handled relatively easy with a few simple tools. You will need a shovel, 4×4 wood block, 2″ PVC pipes, and some elbow grease. All you have to do is tip up one end of the house using the block and shovel and then place a 2″ PVC pipe under one end of the house. Now go to the other end and push it over on to the fresh ground.
You will also need a pipe about 5 feet from the end of the house to continue the movement of the house in the direction of travel. This is rather primitive but it works really well.
Now that the house is on fresh clean ground, you can tip up each end with the shovel and the block to remove the 2″ PVC pipes. Keep these pipes around as they will come in handy for moving the house in the days to come.
If you have a garden or some flower beds in need of attention, these quail droppings make for a very rich organic fertilizer. They can also be added to your compost piles as well to speed up the compost process.
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March 27th, 2010
It is now springtime and I noticed that my homers had started laying eggs on the floor of the loft. I have been so busy working on customer projects that I have neglected to build my own birds some nesting boxes. Not to worry, the pigeon has raised many a clutch without the luxury of its own private nestbox. I had some paper mache nest bowls in stock and placed 4 or 5 on the floor of the loft. Next I placed a couple of handfuls of sand in the bowls to encourage nesting and to anchor them in place. I also placed a block of coastal hay on the floor and the rest is up to the birds. Within a few days several birds had made nests and began to lay. Some of the birds used only the sand while others had their nest overflowing with hay. Within a 7 day period I have 4 pair sitting on eggs. To my surprise the birds I had planned on mating paired up naturally together. I raced these birds last fall in a local club and my 300 mile 1st and second place birds paired up and are sitting on eggs. On the other end of the loft some of my 200 mile and 300 mile leaders were also paired together. These should be some really great birds.
While it is not necessary to have racing homers for bird dog training, it does give you more training options down the road. These birds have been selectively bred and raced to prove their homing ability. The 300 mile winners in my loft made the trip in a little less than six hours and sized up some pretty stiff competition. If I decide to have a training weekend with some friends that are 40-50 miles away, I will have no fear of losing my birds as they can make this trip in less than an hour.
I have plenty of birds for the next season, so I am helping out a fellow bird dog trainer with this first round of youngsters. Last year I set up a young friend of the family with a new pointer pup and a pigeon loft. He came in and stayed with his grandparents for the summer and spent many evening in my backyard learning how to put the yard training on his new prospect. He is now ready to stock his loft and I am going to get him some foundation stock to train his new pup with. After this round I am going to put in some nest boxes and raise a round for the some youngsters interested in pigeons for a 4-H project.
Stay tuned for the hatch, banding, and weaning of these squab.
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March 19th, 2010
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