re: More information about declining bobwhite quail numbers

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Pen-raised quail lack behavioral characteristics of wild birds. This should not be surprising as pen-raised birds are domesticated stock, which have been selected over time to be docile enough to survive in pens
and raised in a most unnatural way. Many of these domesticated birds will not nest, and some that do will not incubate their clutch. It has also been noted for a pen-raised female to incubate her clutch and, upon hatching, simply walk off and leave the brood. Without the hen, chicks die quickly, either from exposure, starvation, or predation. In short, pen-raised quail have never been found to be able to sustain a population

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