anyone know about What i think are partridges?

[wcah]

On Sunday some walkers found this group of 8, 1-3 day old chicks (still had egg tooth) on the road all huddled, after about half hour watching them from a distance waiting for Mum to collect them I decided to collect them up as on a country lane would soon get killed and put them in my chick box with the heat lamp, they were very cold and not moving around much and didnt hold much hope for them. Today they are all with me and seam very fit and healthy, i have put some dry chick crumbs for them and also put in 2 times a day some moist chick crumbs ( like i would with my chicken chicks) What do I do know? do i treat them as chickens? ie food and temp. When and could i ever release them back into the wild? Would they be OK for pets? Can they live with chickens? Would they live in a coop? As you can see I know NOTHING about Partridges (Im calling them partridges just from looking on the webs pics) but I am so wiling to learn im so glad they have survived, any advise will be muchly apreaciated.
Regards

 

[Lordcluck]

They appear to be red Legged Partridge chicks. They will rear on Chicken chick Crumbs, but will do better on higher protein Game rearer crumbs. Rear them as you would chickens, under a heat lamp, they can be reared with poultry although they can be at risk of catching diseases from chickens, and be aware they are livelier than Domestic Chicken Chicks, and are capable of flight at a very early age. As wild birds they tend to be more highly strung than domestic poultry, and are prone to stress related diseases like coccidiosis and hexamiter. Whilst young, Avoid overcrowding them, and keep their litter clean and dry, and I recommend you medicate their water with an anti-cocci drug, I use Baycox to great effect.
They will 'tame' to a degree, but are not really suited to long confinement in a Coop and run. A larger, wood/wire section pen with a netted roof to protect them from damaging their heads should they fly upwards, and cut brush for them to hide amongst, would suit them as adults. That or a planted aviary.
In captivity They will take the same feed as Poultry, but again will fare better on Game Breeder or Game maintainance Pellets plus mixed corn, and offer live food and greens if they cannot forage for their own. If you want to release them, wait until they are nearly mature, and beginning to show some adult colouring amongst their grey-brown juvenile feather. If You live in the country, and have a garden that borders fields, you could set up a small release pen for them near a hedgerow.Construct A simple wood wire framed pen cable-tied together, with food, water and shelter inside. Keep them there for several days until settled, then open a small gap between two of the sections by cutting the ties and pulling the sections apart, Leave them to find their own way out. it's likely they will stay around, coming and going as they please to the food and water you provide.
Alternatively, contact a local Game keeper, who will take them for release with his own captive bred stocks.