The Surrogator

[Just-a-bird-hunter]

Tex,

Will do! I am sure I will see birds this fall and I HOPE, hens hanging around the vicinity in the spring. Now, the problem is the hens might go east or west in the spring if and when they hear a rooster crowing. I am going to use it for quail too: definitely California Valley and maybe even Bobs and Blues!

[Just-a-bird-hunter]

Strike One!

I started out with 40 chicks, 30 survived to 4 weeks, which is the release age, and I haven't seen a one since 4 days past release! There were LOTS of grasshoppers available for the birds, and I did see them feeding on them. I was hoping they would get under the rose thickets for protection, but must not have. I will try again next summer! I'm not ready to give up quite yet. Alas, I remain lost in the pheasant desert.

[bhennessy]

Wow, four weeks is the release age?! It seems amazing to me that any would survive at all, wild or not. i suppose when you are a ground dwelling bird you need to grow up quickly and figure out how to survive.

30 out of 40 seems pretty good to me. I bat about .500 in my pigeon loft, and that's just getting them to when they are ready to start venturing out. Out of two chicks, one usually gets abandoned or trampled. Once they start flying I generally loose another 10 percent or 20 percent to hawks.

[Just-a-bird-hunter]

According to Wildlife Technologies, 4 weeks was the release age for pheasants, quail take another week. Keep in mind the Surrogator is out there with the door open, the birds can go in-and-out as they please. I opened the door at 4 weeks and they immediately went after the abundant grasshoppers in the hedgerow, as one would expect. At four weeks of age, they could fly well. Unfortunately, within one week they were all gone. I did see a female Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawk) carrying off one of the birds; that's the only depredation I observed, but I was hardly out there, 24-7. They did not act like pen raised birds; they avoided humans and would run/fly away. As I said, I will try again next spring/summer.

JBH

[blue04]

Is it possible that some of the birds are still there and you're just not seeing them? Maybe they just got smart really quickly and are doing a good job of dodging you? Maybe a quick pass through the area with bird dog is in order?

[Just-a-bird-hunter]

I hope so! I've had the galliformes bird detection system (a.k.a Biscuit, the Shorthair) out with regularity and he always finds the Hun coveys. That's how I was finding the pheasants also until the birds seemed to evaporate. It is possible they made it into the 60 acre corn patch caddie-corner to our place but I'm told such places are insect deserts, and they go where to food is (still tons of grasshoppers where I placed the Surrogator). I will keep my eyes open, fingers crossed and all informed!

[Just-a-bird-hunter]

Well, I will give an update on the Surrogator success per year: 2016 - a total bust, they evaporated within two weeks. 0 survivors out of 40 chicks. 2017 - Ditto. 2018 Moved the unit from the west side hedgerow to the east edge of the hay field. I put up a sun shade over the unit and increased the number to 60 chicks. I had 3 surviving hens that I saw into March 2019 the next year. After March, I never saw any of them again. There were no nests pheasant nests in our hay field (Huns, yes, pheasants, no) One interesting fact: one hen was melanistic, dark chocolate in color. She flew twice as far and twice as fast as the other 2 standard coloration hens. I have since heard that the melnistic pheasants will do better turning feral than the standard coloration. What they base that on, I don't know. 2020 - another bust. That brings us to 2021: I have 60 birds again, 30 standard, 30 melanistics. There should be plenty of grasshoppers for them to go after upon release; that has to help!

[J D Patrick]

nice update - I wish you good luck with it this year

did any work out for working your dogs on the fall after release or did they get gone fast?

[Just-a-bird-hunter]

I had some nice points on the birds after release. I was actually thinking I may have inadvertently scared them away from the hedgerows and into unsafe areas because I worked them too many times. I'll keep the dogs away for about 3 weeks after release this time.