State Division of Wildlife Resources officials are looking for groups or families interested in raising chukar chicks until they can survive in the wild.
Conservation officer Dave Smith said the chukars, a type of partridge, would be banded and released at about 12 to 14 weeks of age in areas where they might be able to establish new flocks or add to existing flocks.Although the DWR cannot provide pens or feed, the Day-Old-Chukar Program is a good activity for boy scouts, sportsmen, school groups or families interested in raising birds, Smith said.
The one-day-old chicks are usually available towards the end of May and must be kept in a warm breeder for the first two to three weeks.
Since not all the birds will survive, wildlife officials suggest people take at least 50 chicks.
Those interested in the program should be aware that as the birds mature, they consume a lot of feed, Smith said.
The experimental program is part of research being done to discover the best way to repopulate areas which have suffered high winter kill in the past few seasons.
A Brigham Young University student is studying the success of the project in northern Utah, he said.