Saw my first chicks of the season

[Sumpnneedskillin]

Went out the back door last night to grill some steaks and saw a quail run across the garden.  So I froze and waited to see what happens next (they've been dusting in the corner of the garden).  The female goes running across the garden next.  Then here come 3 chicks running after her.  They had most of their feathers and were about a 1/3 the size of an adult.  The male went running back and worked his way up the limb pile I have at the corner of the garden so he could keep an eye on me.  They spent about 2-3 minutes messing around in the garden and then headed for the neighbors.

These are the only chicks I've seen so far.  I've seen quite a few quail pairs but no chicks.  I've seen several turkey hens but no chicks.  I've been noticing pheasant roosters but no hens so hopefully they're still sitting on clutches.  I've seen a couple of hun pairs too but again no chicks.

Starting to look bad    I'll continue to keep an eye out and let everyone know how things look around here.

[Sumpnneedskillin]

The youngest and I went out and put some miles on the rig this afternoon North of town.  Saw several pheasant roosters and hens but no chicks.  Also saw several quail roosters by themselves.  Only saw one pair of quail that had chicks.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Between predators and all the rain we had this spring, I think the hatches are way down.  Chicks can't take being wet at all.  They get hypothermic real fast.  When I had Bantam chickens I'd see a hen outside with her chicks, and a rain shower would get the chicks wet, and they would move slower, and keel over and die.  Our upland birds are dry climate critters.

[deerbandit]

I am in Colbert which is just outside Spokane. In our backyard area this year we have 4pairs of quail. One pair has only one chick. The other 3 sets have between 10 and 14 chicks. It's a better crop here this year over last year.