The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-05-11
QUAIL BREEDING.
Mlssourlan Uses Incubator to Hatch
the EuQs.


the Eggs.
A new industry with interesting pos
sbilities has been inaugurated by
Guy Gordon of Columbia, Mo. lie
calls 1t quail farming, and is work ng
on the theory that the birds can be
raised on the same principle as poul-
try. His experiments have demon
strated that quails can he raised as
easily and with as little expense as
chickens, but the question of profit
still remains to be determined.
The quail farmer is at present con.
ducting work on limited scale. lie
has several acres of land. The farm
is fenced with closely woven wire,
which prevents the escape of the
birds, whose wings are clipped when
young. 1t is the intention of the
owner, however, to remove to Arkan-
sas, where he will secure a tract of
land large enough to operate the farm
on an extensive scale He hopes to
have the birds on the market soon at
good prices. His present design is to
raise only brood quails, which now
sell at 81 pair.
1t is purely by accident that sir.
Gordon went into the quail business.
While he was cleaning chicken in
cubator one day, Speed Mitchell, of
Boone County, leaned over the fence
and smiled with the cold disdain of
an oldtime farmer for new tangled"
contrivanCes.
why don't you raise quails in that
thing said Mitchell. An old bird
hatched a dozen back of my barn this
week, and didn't have half the trou-
BILE about it rs you are going TO with
that business"
bring me some eggs and WILL"
said Gordon, and thought no more
about ii.
Mitchell came in with dozen eggs,
fresh from quail nest on his farm.
and within twenty one days nine of
the eggs were hatched Three of the
young Qua!ls died, but six lived and
are now full grown. The result was
so satisfactory that Gordon abandon
ed the chicken business and now has
big covey of qua.ls of all sizes. The
youngest birds are kept in a small,
wire.covered quail yard. The young
est birds must he handled with great
caution, and a careful regard for tenn
perature. They are Matched in the
incubator at a temperature Of 104 de-
grees, and while in the care of the
mother get along well enough in the
daytime without artificial heat. At
night, however, ii is necessary TO
keep q lamp burning in the brood
house 10 insure a temperature OF at
least 90 degrees. Like all incubator
products the BIRDS are surprisingly
tame, and even the full grown quails
can be picked up and fed ont of the
hand.
The quail breeder has one peculiar
obstacle to contend with in the mat
ter of reproduction. \ pair of quailS
once mated are united for life. Meth.
er the male nor the fema.e will de-
sert its mate for another. and the loss
of one out of pair is equivalent to
the loss of both Even after the
death of one the other is not fit for
reproductive purposes. If the hen
quail is paired with any other bird
than her original mate her eggs are
barren and are never fertile Cor
don could not market the birds in
Missouri at present without violating
the recently enacted game law, which
will for several years prohibit the
killing, selling or buying of quails,
owing to the scarcity of the supply.
The business he is now conducting
may in time prove a solution of this
very problem as to the future supply
of birds for sporting purposes If
they can be raised us easily as chick
ems sportsmen need have no fear for
the future of their sport as 1t would
do away with all possibility of the
birds becoming extinct The average
quail hen lays about sixteen eggs a
year. The setting season lasts three
months, usually from April l to the
last week in June.-Kansas City Star.