Bird Storage Question

[bpope]

Hello everyone, new guy here. I am thinking of buying a pen to keep somewhere between 10-12 quail so I can train my 7 month English Springer Spaniel with. I do not have a large yard at all though (average back yard) and I am wondering if keeping birds in the same proximity as where my dog hangs out sometimes would have any adverse affects in his hunting/training? I'm planning on a fence to keep around the pen.

I guess mainly I worried about him becoming accustomed to them and weakening his drive. Yes, I have OCD. Thanks!!

[displaced_texan]

It won't weakened his drive.

[aulrich]

I run pigeons, so when I loft fly or trap train young I keep mine dog in the house, until the birds are all back in the loft. If I don't he will try to figure out how to get to the top of a 2 story house.

I don't think having them has hurt my pointing dog.

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

I run pigeons, so when I loft fly or trap train young I keep mine dog in the house, until the birds are all back in the loft. If I don't he will try to figure out how to get to the top of a 2 story house.

I don't think having them has hurt my pointing dog.

x2

Use pigeons instead. They are much more durable.

Seeing and smelling birds everyday will not kill his prey drive, it will likely insensify it. I kept pigeons in a small pen, and quail in another when I lived in town. My back yard was only about 1000 sq. ft. The dogs, an English Setter and an ESS, saw and smelled the birds every time they were brought into the house from the dog run. Not an ideal set up, but you do what you have to with limited space.

Nate

[bpope]

Thank you guys for the input!

[hoppingsp]

I would definitely fence them in, as soon as u turn your back the dog.will probably harass them, mine did and killed all 60, of my layers. Just flushed them and they killed themselves flying into coop. If your dog is kept in kennel wont matter I dont think like others said will probably intensify desire. Will say this my dog is not lacking in the drive dept.

[robert_lh]

I am experiencing the same situation. I was thinking about storing them at my buddies farm where I train the dog just because I am paranoid, but I haven't asked him if I could keep them there yet. I am using pheasants. Nobody thinks that seeing and smelling the birds everyday will weaken his drive?

[ranmcc]

In 1982 I bought my first setter from a fellow in Chesterfield SC that had a fenced in field full of setters. Right next to the setters he had a pen full of chickens. The dogs could smell them and go over an point the chickens. He said it made them birdy. At the time he said he had been breeding setters for 30 years.