Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1930-05-02
propagation Of Bob-white Quail.

The State Game Division of the Conser-
walton Department of Maryland, which has
operated propagation plant for the raising
Of game at GwynnbrOok, Baltimore county,
Maryland, has re-equipped this plant al
most entirely for the raising Of bob-white
quail-through the installation of a No. A
Buckeye Electrical Incubator with an egg
capacity of 10000 bob-white quail eggs
and electrically equipped brooders, under
the supervision of our game breeder. C. j.
McPhail.
In addition to the propaeating plant at
Gwynnbr00k, we have established plant
on property purchased from Miss Alice
Hitch on the Jersey Road. just at the
boundary of the city limits of Salisbury.
This plant is being equipped with No. AZ
Buckeye Electrical Incubator with an egg
capacity of 5000 bob-white quail eggs
and electrically equipped brooders. This
plant is under the supervision of W. H.
Collier. game breeder. With the establish
ment of these two plants, we hope to in
crease the percentage of the propagation
OF this great game bird during 1880.
Experiments have been made for some
time past in the propagation of bob white
quail In fact, this department has been
experimenting in small way since 1925
and in 1928 were very successful at the
plant at GwynnbrOok, raising bob-white
quail by using bantam hens for incubation
and the old system of brOOding. During
that season. from 33 mated pairs Of bob
whites, we gathered 1925 eggs, Matched
lll2 birds, raised to maturity 844, which
we consider a very good percentage for
the equipment used However, as always
in the propagation of game birds, it is al
most impossible to tell what the results
will be until the propagation season has
ended. The season of 1929. we started
with 80 mated pairs. from which we COL
lected 5000 eggs. which we considered an |
excellent record. as the average was 43 eggs |
per bird. From the eggs collected, we set |
S4OO eggs. Matched out 1871 birds during
the hot dry weather of August, a disease ap- |
peared which reduced our birds materially
within two weeks and from the 3400 eggs
set. we were able to raise to maturity only
500 birds.
We lay no claim as orieinators or pro.
motors of the idea of prOpaeating bob
white quail by electricity The credit for
this system should be given to Mr.. Edwin
G. Baetjer. very prominent attorney of
Baltimore. Maryland, who. back in 1927,
in cooperation with the Buckeye Incuba.
tor Company of Springfield. Ohio, started
an experiment in trying to produce an
all-electric incubator and the first machine
OF this type placed on the market of which
! have any knowledge was one No. 43 |
Mammoth All-Electric Chicken Egg Buck
eye Incubator, furnished by this company
to Mr.. Baeuer in the spring of 1929, when
he purchased property in Virginia known
as the White Oak Quail Farm about seven
miles from Richmond and placed in charge
of this farm Mr.. W. b. Coleman. as superin- |
tendent, who is known throughout the |
United States for his experiments and |
successful experience in the propagation |
of bob-white quail. Mr.. Coleman claims |
the experiment proved successful during |
the season Of 1929.
Therefore. we decided to follow suit and |
do not anticipate using single bantam or |
ing or rearing quail in 1880. We expect the |
incubator to hatch the eggs from which |
the little birds will be transferred to ele. |
valed brooder coops heated with 32-watt |
heating unit which is attached to a dali |
vanized canopy In front of the brooders, |
we will use runs 20 inches in width, 8 |
inches in length. covered with galvanized |
mosquito wire to keep out flies. The bot
tom on which the birds run is of hardware |
cloth Of such size as to permit droppines |
to 60 through to a tray which will be re- |
moved daily and the contents burned.
We are starting the season with 80 |
mated pairs at the State Game Farm at |
Gwynnbrook and 20 mated pairs at the |
State Game Farm at Salisbury We hope |
to rear the young birds TO the age Of eight to |
ten weeks. at which time they will be dis
tributed to game refugees and sanctuaries |
owned or leased by the department in the
counties in our State. H as ..
II the electrical system proves to be |
satisfactory, we sincerely hope that hun
dreds Of poultry raisers in our State will
adopt our plan for the propagation of
b0b-white quail. As there Is always a
good market for live birds for propagation
purposes, am sure that the poultry raisers
would not have much additional ex-
pense or trouble 10 raising bob-whites as
the poultry raisers in our State, In the
majority of cases. are using at present the
incubator and brooders for the raising of
poultry. am sure II they would add TO
their plants the propagation Of Chinese
Pheasants, they would find il
a very profitable addition to their business.
E. LEE LECOMPTE.
State Game Warden.