[arobwk]

I'm really missing the pair of red-leg partridge that had taken-up home on my little patch:  I inadvertently "cornered" them in a field corner one day, where-upon much partridge-panic and hurried flight and I've not seen them since!  So I'm thinking I might procure some red-leg partridge and some quail (European ?) to release into "the wild" hoping some might be inclined to loiter around. 
Any thoughts please ?

[doganjo]

Quail are not indigenous to the UK so can't be released to the wild

[arobwk]

Quail are not indigenous to the UK so can't be released to the wild

OK - thanks kindly doganjo - something I need to go check then.  (Edit:  Initial check says Euro' quail are migrants, albeit uncommon in UK, so maybe not too controversial, but I will double-check with those that control such stuff.)

[SallyintNorth]

The red-legged partridge is the import from France and Spain.  The native partridge is the grey-legged, which is now on the (ironically named in this instance) Red List.  I don't know how you'd go about sourcing grey-legged partridge but if you like the idea of helping them, I expect your local RSPB rep would be able to give you some pointers.

[doganjo]

Quail are not indigenous to the UK so can't be released to the wild

OK - thanks kindly doganjo - something I need to go check then.  (Edit:  Initial check says Euro' quail are migrants, albeit uncommon in UK, so maybe not too controversial, but I will double-check with those that control such stuff.)

Quail are often used for training pointing gundogs, I've used them myself and presently have 6.  So occasionally they escape, but it is frowned on not to try to find them. Problem is they are flighty and better than Harrier jump jets at vertical take off    But definitely not indigenous to UK
"Can you release quail in the UK?
No, quail do not have a homing instinct and can fly quite well so free-range means lost birds. It is also illegal to release quail into the wild, as they are a non-indigenous species."

[arobwk]

The red-legged partridge is the import from France and Spain.  The native partridge is the grey-legged, which is now on the (ironically named in this instance) Red List.  I don't know how you'd go about sourcing grey-legged partridge but if you like the idea of helping them, I expect your local RSPB rep would be able to give you some pointers.

I checked out greys some while back:  fussy little monkeys !

[arobwk]

I haven't found anything yet that says (contrary to your advice [member=26320]doganjo[/member] ) that I definitely cannot release European quail (UK migrants) or Red Legged Partridge (introduced from Europe and now a common UK bird with nest "protection rights") ! 


I do know the native Grey Partridge is difficult to establish into the wild from captive-bred stock, but not sure (right now) whether Euro' quail and RL partridge have similar wilding issues.  Have to look at that.


As to releases of Euro' quail & RL partridge into the wild:  I fully acknowledge that any released birds might just decide to p*ss-off, never to return, but surely there is no harm in trying/helping to establish/re-establish bird density in my area (hoping also that wind-blown spiders, St Mark's flies and willow beetles, for example, will provide an enticing seasonal reason to come back).


Where to find release stock though !?

[doganjo]

Very simply, as well as having trained my French gundogs on quail, and having bred them, and currently have six of them, I do have some experience

However, I just googled the question and got this answer -
You could do the same
People also ask
Can you let quails free?
Can quail be free range? No, quail do not have a homing instinct and can fly quite well so free-range means lost birds. It is also illegal to release quail into the wild, as they are a non-indigenous species.

[arobwk]

Very simply, as well as having trained my French gundogs on quail, and having bred them, and currently have six of them, I do have some experience

However, I just googled the question and got this answer -
You could do the same
People also ask
Can you let quails free?
Can quail be free range? No, quail do not have a homing instinct and can fly quite well so free-range means lost birds. It is also illegal to release quail into the wild, as they are a non-indigenous species.

[member=26320]doganjo[/member] - My 1st attempts at "DuckDuckGo-ing" (an alternative search-engine to the track-you-everywhere Google) quail/partridge releases got me nowhere.  However, while on RSPB forum today, I found confirmation that both European Quail (Coturnix Coturnix) and Red Legged Partridge may be released.  Of course, for quail, other species are a no no for release, which is much as I would have expected.  With the quail, a reputable breeder would be needed to ensure they really are pure Coturnix Coturnix species  (I can't find any breeders so far).  And as I acknowledged previously, no guarantee migrant C C quail will return although I imagine there would be slightly better chance if they were raised/spent the summer here in the wild.  (Also I now note the Common Quail is, quote ... "Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 4: the Red List for Birds (2021). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981"  ... according to the Wildlife Trust web-site.  I shall therefore continue with my search for young birds to release:  obviously this would not be as important as other folks' attempts to keep the Grey Partridge population going here in the UK, but .... !

[doganjo]

  I shall therefore continue with my search for young birds to release:  obviously this would not be as important as other folks' attempts to keep the Grey Partridge population going here in the UK, but .... ![/font][/size]

This is now my opinion, but in 40 years working with gundogs what i said was the information as I knew it

Pen raised quail can carry disease that can endanger the local quail population in other countries, which in most places is already struggling to survive, and it is illegal to endanger our native wildlife in the UK.

Before thinking about releasing them you need to be sure that you have Common Quail and not another species, especially if they have been in your care for any more than a few days, as Common Quail is a late spring migrant to the UK. Japanese Quail looks extremely similar (it is sometimes considered to be a subspecies of Common Quail) and is widely kept in captivity here.
So DO be careful if you insist in releasing quail

[arobwk]

So DO be careful if you insist in releasing quail

Be assured that I will be very careful [member=26320]doganjo[/member] ..... whether I will ever find a certified breeder of true CQ or a welfare org' with "rescued" CQ looking to be temporarily re-homed for subsequent release is another matter !!

[doganjo]

I bred my own male - he is now 4, well over the recognised normal age in captivity, but my girls are all last year's hatching
I've attached photos of them

I'm getting five eggs a day, but they're not fertile as they are separate from my males in case he got hurt. Quail tend to run fast if they are surprised or threatened rather than dawdle around, and they take off vertically like Harrier jump jets  .  They are ground feeders so are often kept as aviary clean up birds

I think Euro quail are bigger than mine (Japanese), mine are about 6 inches long and the same high

I love having them

[doganjo]

I know this sounds strange but i think at least one of my girls is laying twice a day.

I have four girls in together, and I thought the one I put in with m y old male was a girl too, but there have been no eggs in there as yet.
My bigger run with the four girls has small animal bedding (shredded shavings) so it can be difficult to find eggs in it, and they lay them anywhere, not in a nest as such

So some days I find none, or just one or two eggs, and other days I find 8 or so.

So either they are laying erratically or they are excellent at hiding them.  I am pretty thorough though, so I'd be surprised at that

Makes life very interesting and fun 

[macgro7]

The red-legged partridge is the import from France and Spain.  The native partridge is the grey-legged, which is now on the (ironically named in this instance) Red List.  I don't know how you'd go about sourcing grey-legged partridge but if you like the idea of helping them, I expect your local RSPB rep would be able to give you some pointers.

You can easily buy partridge, Red partridge, pheasant (and many other species) hatching eggs on preloved, ebay.
They used to have grey a d red partridge in Melton Mowbray market quire regularly. But the fur and feather section is still closed - for the last 2 years nearly