Red Legged Partridges are an introduced Quarry species, Hatched and raised in their Millions in Britain and Europe for the shooting Industry, so in conservation terms there's nothing at stake here. Grey Partridges are a Native species and far more labour intensive to keep and breed due to their pairing behaviour and Highly aggressive nature, unlike Red-legs, they Cannot be Flock mated. As a result they are seldom bred in captivity in any significant numbers, and as a result have to replenish their own numbers in the wild. So if you have Grey Partridge eggs, it's well worthwhile persevering with the project.
Partridges Hatch quite easily in Incubators or under broodies, but they are highly prone to stress induced diseases, so you will need to medicate their water with anti coccidiosis drugs. Baycox is a Commonly used product for this. they will grow on regular Poultry chick crumbs, but will do better on Game rearing Crumbs and pellets which are a Higher protein ration.
They are lively escapologists, so will make a break for freedom as soon as they have enough flight fathers to allow them to flutter. Although they will tame to a degree, They can be highly strung birds, and Explosive Vertical take off escape is their normal reaction to any perceived danger. Because of this it's best to avoid startling them as they can damage themselves or even kill themselves hitting the roofs of Solid pens. In commercial rearing set ups their runs are Netted to prevent accidents of this nature.
