"We have too many pet cats in this neighborhood for wild quail to feel comfortable. They come around now and then just to eat some of the food I put out for other wild birds. I think my pet Japanese quail call in wild male quail, as well. I had to build a cage and my neighbor gave me some domesticated quail. Wild quail don't do well in captivity, plus they are a bit too aggressive toward each other when kept in a cage, so I have domesticated Japanese quail. Sometimes even they get aggressive toward each other, so I isolate those that peck the heads of the other birds. The female birds produce an egg a day all year round, but I haven't figured out how to be satisfied with these tiny eggs when my six chickens produce far more eggs that I can eat by myself. It's fun, plus I quickly get to know a lot about their individual personalities, which makes life interesting. It's a lot like watching my six children and 27 grandkids.

Thanks for that information.

@kyrie26, you probably have two good points here and you sound sincere in your presentation. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I wish it were the biggest mistake I made that day, or any day, for that matter.

Raymond, that's great. Now I'd like to see a video or your work. Just remember, the higher the bird density, the greater the predators. Sorry about that fact of life.

@@richardrobertson1331 I do sometimes have hawks here and I am OK with them. Domestic animals I don't plan to tolerate. But so far, no cats or dogs. I don't do KZfaq videos, maybe someday!

Utah

Glad you enjoyed it. I wish I had a better mike and voice, but propagating quail in the "wild" like that was more fun than you can imagine.

Elizabeth, thanks . . . and I fully agree that fruit and vegetable gardens are great to have and certainly worth the effort. I tried to watch one of your videos to see if you had posted one about your gardening efforts, but I couldn't find one. Please consider it. Vegetable gardening is not nearly as popular as it once was and I think videos may encourage others to try it.

matt carr, glad you enjoyed it. I'm about ready to film a follow-up. I hope you enjoy it, as well.

James, having a balanced ecosystem is also my goal and I applaud you for your efforts. Good luck achieving your goal. It takes lots of monitoring and adjusting, but for me, that simply makes it more fun and challenging. Thanks for your comment.

Thanks for your kind comments. Concerning quail, there are too many cats in my neighborhood and they hop the fence or go under it to catch mice around my chicken coop, so raising free ranging quail on my small lot is not an option. I spoke with the owner of an eighty acre lot at the base of the mountain a couple of blocks away and received permission to propagate free ranging quail there. I have planted three buckets of seeds that quail naturally use as food and shelter and have purchased several 'catch alive traps' to decrease predators (feral cats, snakes, raccoons etc.) to catch and relocate. I'll tolerate the hawks and eagles, which I'm sure will visit regularly as the quail numbers increase. I saw a neighbor's cat a few houses away eating a quail along the side of the road last week and would feel bad if that were in my yard. I have located a few quail breeders that have California quail, but here in Utah they are a game bird, so raising and releasing them would require permits and inspections. I can't deal with that because inspections are unannounced and carry hefty fines for violations. I'm too independent and too old to tolerate stuff like that. Concerning the decorative mulberry tree, it doesn't produce mulberries, so it's not an option for my yard, plus I need as much sunlight on the ground as possible in my tiny lot. Thanks for the tip on the Edge of Nowhere Farm" video, I'll check it out, and thanks for your comments.

Carolle Enkelmann, my microphone is not sensitive enough to record their calls, but I do enjoy listening to them. Maybe I could replace it someday and make another video with their many calls on it. Even though they are totally wild, they tolerate me being near them bringing them food and sand. I try to always wear the same hat so they know it's me. Thanks for the suggestion.

Now that I am retired, I have been spending two or three days every week doing something with geology, so I certainly need to make another geology video. Thanks for the encouragement.

Thanks for watching my video and for your kind comment. I need to do gardening for emotional reasons mainly. Fruit and vegetables are a bonus. I should do a follow-up video of canning fruit and vegetables since we enjoy the simple life now with all our six kids grown and raising families of their own. Life is good.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Colleen, thank you for your comment. I hope you find satisfaction and enjoyment with your quail, as I do. My biggest challenge is seeing predators taking one or two every week (mostly house cats that are let outside for a few hours every day). Good luck with the aviary your husband is going to build.

@@richardrobertson1331 I would love to do the same thing Richard,the reason I haven't is because of the family cat which would to lie in wait for the covey that used to come through our yard at approx.4:30 every afternoon. It only happened when there were chicks with them,but after a while the quail quit coming through,and I haven't seen them for a year or so,and I really miss their visits. ,

@@monicabond3218 I appreciate your real concern about your family cat being the predator. I'm currently working on a very large project increasing the number of quail in the hills behind my house, and predators are the biggest issue. Family cats that have become wild (feral) are the number one issue, along with snakes and raccoons. Very few predators, like cats, kill for the pleasure of the hunt; they kill and move on leaving the dead birds to decay on the surface. That odor brings in animals like coyotes, which add to the problem. Birds that nest on the ground, like quail, have little chance of success as long as these predators are around, so I have an additional program which I refer to as my "predator mitigation" program. Thank you for your comment.

@@richardrobertson1331 Thank you for the reply Richard I think it's admirable that you are working to increase the wild population,which is all I would like to accomplish,although I have nothing against those that need to raise them for sustenance. I have learned a lot from your video regarding their feeding and nesting requirements. After seeing how they like to nest in your Junipers,I realize I may have unwittingly deprived them of their natural nesting habit by removing and burning the Buckwheat,which has a similar growth habit to your Junipers, due to wildfire concerns,as Buckwheat is extremely flammable. I plan on getting a collar with a bell attached to see if that will help with the cat problem. Thank you for posting your very informative article.

@@monicabond3218, I am always concerned about the risk of fires when providing good quail cover. I don't know how to get around it. If you discover a low cost solution, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks for your comment.

Owen, very good question! California quail have a very frightened and nervous nature and don't do as well as almost all other breeds of quail in captivity. They usually only breed in the Spring, so you can only buy fertilized California quail eggs in March and April. On the plus side, they are one of the few breeds of quail that can live in the "wild" since they naturally hide from predators, fly away at the slightest unusual sound, and constantly try to escape when put in a cage. Plus they are rather small compared to most other quail breeds. It takes more than ten generations of careful selection to domesticate a wild bird, and California quail are no exception. So, to answer your question, domestication is not a practical option. Your state government may want you to obtain special permits to keep California quail in a pen since they are a "game" bird in many states. Thanks for asking.

Summer Breeze, yes, they are a bit heavy. I provided adequate food for both the quail and the bugs that ate the excess grain for a reason. I wanted a healthy bug population, because grain alone does not provide enough protein (9 to 12% protein) for optimal growth (22 to 24% protein diet), plus this was an experiment . . . and it worked. It takes energy to convert carbohydrates (grain) into protein, plus their brains are genetically programmed to scratch around looking for bugs. That's why most birds (including chickens) scratch their food dishes even when it's full of grain. They want to supplement their diet with bugs. Thanks for your comment.

The Gypsy Gardener, I'm glad you enjoyed this video. I did this "experiment" just to see if I could do it, and it worked. If the need for food ever became a life-threatening issue, the quail would certainly be available. I enjoyed seeing them in the yard and yet knowing they had the freedom of living anywhere in the neighborhood they wanted.

Thanks, Brian.

SomeoneSpecial88, I totally agree. The owner obviously put his heart and soul into making a visit to his rock shop an enjoyable experience.

SomeoneSpecial88, thanks for your kind comment. I don't know if my neighbors would appreciate seeing vegetables growing next door, but I really like how they look. I'm also pleased we have such tall privacy fencing, just in case they would have preferred seeing shrubs and roses.

Brian, thanks. We're doing well. Miss you guys.

I'll work on it. Thanks for your kind comment.

A.J. Campbell, they would have if the Fish and Game were not called by a neighbor and trapped and relocated. I was not home when they did this. I am currently doing the same thing on a 30 acre parcel in the foothills near my home with the permission of the property owner. He won't call Fish and Game. The big worry here in Utah is that some winter snow storms dump lots of snow that stays around for more than a week. If sturdy plants were not available for them to hide and be protected from the elements, many would starve or die of exposure. Low juniper shrubs in my yard provide adequate protection and I could make sure their nutritional needs are being met. They're almost "domesticated" and tolerate my presence if I move slowly and am alone. Thanks for the question.

I wish you luck if you are going to raise quail. They are very satisfying to work with.

Good luck with your efforts. I hope predators like cats, raccoons, skunks and hawks are not a problem in your area.

@@richardrobertson1331 thank you! There are skunks & cats, but I will work on reducing de possibilities of hunt. Thanks for the info!

These are truly wild quail, even though I can get quite close to them as they are feeding. They nest under yard shrubs and I do not disturb them when they are nesting. To collect eggs I would have to purchase domestic quail and keep them in a cage. The new house I moved to has too many neighborhood cats that wander into my yard, so I think it would be difficult to increase the number of wild quail here like I was able to do at my former location. I plan to attempt to increase the quail numbers in the hills just a few blocks from my new location if I can get permission from one or more of my "neighbors" who have a few acres of land and are farther away from all these cats. It would be illegal to attempt to collect their eggs since they are a "game bird" and, thus, protected by law. Besides, I want to increase their numbers . . . I have a few chickens for my egg needs. Thanks for asking.

Sayeed, I have one almost ready to post but it needs a little more editing. And thank you for your kind words about my first video effort.

Norman, these birds are known as "California Quail" here in the western part of the United States, but I''m sure every country has a local name for them that is different.

saquibhzafee, yes they are totally wild. In Utah, they are considered a "game bird" so they cannot legally be trapped or kept in a cage. They reproduce so quickly (3 or 4 clutches per year) and start laying eggs at three months of age. It's relatively easy to propagate them in the wild, if they have multiple places to hide from predators and have protection from the heavy snows we have here. Skunks, cats, raccoons and hawks are our biggest predator threats here, and you may find it necessary to cage trap predators (hawks are federally protected, so I don't mess with them). I have since moved 15 miles from this location and am doing the same thing in my "new" back yard. Thanks for asking.

Chris, Thank you for your kind comment. I have two more wildlife elated videos almost ready to post. I'll try to get them posted this weekend. Thanks for watching.

Furious Teasipper, no I don't eat their eggs since I have been trying to increase their local population. In two years I went from 6 birds in my back yard to 47, until Fish and Game was called by a neighbor and many of them were trapped and relocated. They;re pretty good at hiding their nests under the juniper shrubs and if I disturbed their nests, they might start nesting elsewhere. Thanks for asking.

@nick sweeney I love your humor. And I wish all my problems were so simple and enjoyable. Moses had the same issue when feeding manna to the 12 tribes . . . the quail ate it too, and their numbers exploded. But Moses had a remedy that seemed to work pretty well. Thanks for your comment. You're a smart guy.