Any tips in taming 3-4 week old quail? Very skittish, and never wanted to be on hand

[geminihc]

ever since i got them from ~1 week old born chicks, the group of 5 generally acts very skittish. here's what i tried:

-not to hover above them (i have to if i'm cleaning or swtich them out)
-hold them firm but gently (when i do have to switch them out)
-look at them at their eye level for ~1 hr each day
-try to only use pinky to pet them (and approach via their level)
-give them dushbath (they do seem to love it)

anything else that is key that i'm missing? i'd really like it if they are less afraid of me. i understand not all quails can be tamed, but i would like to think i'm not doing my best i can.

 

[maadroj]

Give them treats. I didn't hold my chicks because when I tried once, the little thing buzzed with fear. I was worried they'd be harmed by their fear if I tried to hold them. But now I think the few that I had to handle a little bit more might be a little more comfortable with me. So if I were to do it again, I would try handling them gently when they were very young. Treats help, though.

 

[Quailobsessed]

What species of quail are they?

Most of my king quails are too skittish to handle, except for my super-tame one that I hand raised and another semi-tame one. My japanese quail on the other hand, they are very chill with me. I do one who is a bit too skittish to handle, but the rest are fine with me picking them up. In fact, some of my boys are so tame that I free range them. I don't really no why they're that tame, I never did anything to tame them.

For your chicks, what you're doing sounds good. I agree with @maadroj that you should use treats though. If you're not sure what their favourite treat is, offer them a range of treats and see what they go for the most.