Binki
Songster
Ahh I wouldn't trust chickens around the smaller quail, I see how they can bully birds their own size so I wouldn't trust them. Also, chickens can carry diseases that don't show symptoms but can decimate your quail so people try and keep them seperate. I have a modified rabbit hutch in my garage where I grow them out and it's also where the aviary group stays during our Canadian winters. I use a foot tall board at the bottom of the aviary door and the quail love it in there and really don't seem to realize the door is outside to freedom so they never try and escape there either, it's nice to be able to go in and hang out with them too ^^@Binki So you think I could let them free range with my chickens in their run??? The overhead is NOT TOTALLY covered, and my second concern is what is in my avatar. They don't bother my chickens, including my banties, but they do when near my pigeons, as well as small chicks.
Awww it sounds like you rescued them from however they were being kept the remaining ones are sure to thrive with you caring for them properly nowHey there binki, what little cuties you have. It's great to hear how much they can tame and trust. I thought he might be male. I think I have rather more males than I should have, the person I bought them from was sexing them based on head shape and I have not heard of doing it that way before. I am the bearer or bad news today.Sunday was a very bad day in the house, I was a little worried about three little guys when I got them home, one was really, really thin (we called him gregory peck, he is the guy in my hood), another was thin and had a huge bald patch on his back, I assume from feather pecking, (houdini), and a rather fat guy who can't walk very well, he has turned in toes and all his toes where stuck together with poop (Eric). I had been hand feeding gregory and houdini with meal worms and a couple of wax worms as well as the quail mix I bought to try to get more protein in them and put more weight on them, but on Sunday morning I woke up to gregory dead (no damage to him, so I don't think he was pecked or bothered by my other guys). I noticed houdini seemed a bit lethargic so I brought him in and he died a couple of hours later! I was so upset and I questioned my decision to keep quail, but after seeing them all looking healthy and well this morning I feel better about it. I'm not sure if there was anything more I could have done to help them. After a couple of days of foot bathing all the poop is gone from Erics feet but his nails where so very long, I clipped them following instructions from a thread I found on here and he is moving around alot better now although rather clumsy.Phew, I feel a little better now I have gotten that out. I am going to get some pictures of them individually to see if you guys can help me sex them, just so I know if I have to get more housing for males. Thanks all