Feeding Quail

 Feeding wild birds is an activity enjoyed by many in Agritimes Country. Prior to letting a little ink flow on the subject I checked with ODFW and it is OK. At our house I am the purchasing agent and Mrs. Groupe is the technician. Our primary focus is the healthy quail population in our sub-division a few miles south of Pendleton. Additionally we maintain two thistle seed feeders for small perching birds. The spring hatch was excellent where our normal 100 California quail exploded to over 350. We feed 2-3 pounds of cracked corn once daily. The covey cycles through just after daylight and eat for a few minutes then scatter to feed and loaf on 20 acres of pasture land nearby. Our first problem arose when the turkeys showed up. They scare the quail away and promptly devour a daily ration in a matter of minutes. My first deterrent was a 3’x8’ sheet of plywood elevated about 6” with 2x6 lumber. The turkeys got down on their wishbones and crawled right in the quail holes. Plan B worked much better. I purchased two 16’ hog panels. The one with 4”x4” openings was bisected lengthwise and crosswise. The resultant 2’x8’ panels were arranged in an 8 foot square which was 2 feet tall and fastened together with hog rings. The second hog panel, with 6”X8” openings was bisected crosswise, laid on top and secured with the copper hog rings. Quail easily walk through the 4”x4” openings and turkeys can’t stretch their necks through. If the quail and other small birds get frightened, they can fly right out the top. We enjoy the small perching birds that the thistle feeder attracts, although it is expensive. My old boss Sterling Allen taught me that if you can afford it it’s not expensive. It attracts many lesser gold finches, house finches, house sparrows, white crown sparrows and others. We have no trees or bushes near the feeders so we staked up a couple of 4 foot dead bushes which get heavy use as birds like to perch on them and look for danger prior to feeding. We did not think predators would be an issue with the feeders 30 feet from our house. Wrong again! House cats and feral cats stop by on occasion but we have not witnessed any murders! Hawks harass our quail some but kills are rare. Kestrels, which I call sparrow hawks, will perch on the cage or bushes but quail seem to ignore them. My veterinary medical education makes me uneasy with the crowding and congestion which can facilitate the spread of parasites and disease. We are transitioning to less summer feeding and more winter supplementation. Avian flu is certainly a concern. Well over a quarter billion (B) poultry worldwide have been slaughtered in an effort to contain this terrible disease. My research suggests that game birds and water fowl are natural hosts to this virus but rarely become symptomatic. Avian flu rarely affects humans. The rare human occurrences are workers in the dairy or avian industries. Summer feeding is entertaining while winter feeding saves lives.