Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Redoliveberry]

I think these two are australorps. Would you agree?
One has white/grey bottom.

 

[Colourful]

I have a Gold Laced Wyandotte too, but she is the least friendly of my girls - she came from a family with children so I thought she would be ok, but she would rather creep around and watch over coming over to inspect and hang out with me. She is also supremely dim when I want to get them back in their coop a bit earlier than usual...the other two scream in while she goes around the outside wondering how to get to the treats inside. She is very sweet though and so so soft to touch.

I have one (not sure what she is) who is so friendly she just hangs out [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]with the dogs and is a total pest but I love her to bits - she tried to come out of the garden to help me feed my horse yesterday and looked totally shocked when I closed the gate, she just stood there looking at me and then at the dogs all quite put out really... [/FONT]

With Quails (we seem to have wild ones in the bush up the road), can they free range or do they have to be kept in a run? Guessing a hawk could scoop them up in no time? Thinking if I got a couple (maybe) my husband wouldn't really notice as they are so small...

Quails are migratory, flighty and not overly intelligent so can NOT be kept free-range. They wont even sleep in a house, instead hiding beneath it only if it rains. You have to give them logs and pots and things.

Japanese quails raised in captivity would not survive a week in the wild.

That said, if you do get just a few, they don't need much space. A 2x4 ft cage would hold 4-6 and they are super adorable. There is a post on this site for quail pens and some of them would have cost buttons to make.

 

[appps]

The quails look really cute Luke!

 

[appps]

Well I've seen it all now

I couldn't get the new favs to go to bed in their little house. Every night we had to pick them up and put them to bed. They would then all settle on the door side.

Last night I had a crazy idea and round 4ish I put one of our little outdoor solar lights inside the house right in the back away from the door. Sure enough at dark when I went to lock them up they were all cuddled up in the back of the house round the nightlight lol

Seems kids of all kinds like to go to bed with a night light

 

[Redoliveberry]

About quail personalities - I have one white girl that comes running when I approach the enclosure, expecting yummy grub or crunchy grasshopper! Others will eat them too but are not too sure about coming to get it. This one always gets the first one!

 

[IamSamSam]

She is soooo pretty!

Thanks I thought so and on another note. Don't favs usually sell ar$40 or $50 each?

I think these two are australorps. Would you agree? One has white/grey bottom.

Well I'd say lorp or cross lorp. Black legs and black eye give them up as lorps

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Congratulations Luke! This one looks like a boy.

Wow, your good if you can tell from that picture! That one is a Golden Mancharin!

The quails look really cute Luke!

Thanks!

Well I've seen it all now

I couldn't get the new favs to go to bed in their little house. Every night we had to pick them up and put them to bed. They would then all settle on the door side.

Last night I had a crazy idea and round 4ish I put one of our little outdoor solar lights inside the house right in the back away from the door. Sure enough at dark when I went to lock them up they were all cuddled up in the back of the house round the nightlight lol

Seems kids of all kinds like to go to bed with a night light

haha! That is a great idea. Might try it with my Ancona's as I found them 3 metres up a tree last night. had to leave them there!

About quail personalities - I have one white girl that comes running when I approach the enclosure, expecting yummy grub or crunchy grasshopper! Others will eat them too but are not too sure about coming to get it. This one always gets the first one!

My quails are not up to that stage yet, but our Tuxedo quail is for sure the friendliest. You can pick her right up all the time. And one of the Golden Mancharins lets you pat her through the wire.

 

[appps]

Thanks I thought so and on another note. Don't favs usually sell ar$40 or $50 each?

I paid $20 each for ours. He did say he normally charges $25 but we'd driven a long way so did us a special price

He also said the woman he got his eggs from originally charges up to $100 for a rooster and $400 for a good hen.

 

[Redoliveberry]

Wow, your good if you can tell from that picture! That one is a Golden Mancharin!
Thanks!

haha! That is a great idea. Might try it with my Ancona's as I found them 3 metres up a tree last night. had to leave them there!
My quails are not up to that stage yet, but our Tuxedo quail is for sure the friendliest. You can pick her right up all the time. And one of the Golden Mancharins lets you pat her through the wire.

The rusty red feathers on the chest suggest he is a boy. Funny, I cannot sex my own 6 week old ones! No obvious colours on their chests yet. And vent sexing was just too hard :-(
Anyway, I am not an expert in sexing quails, just what I found on the net.
How do you find the quails so far Luke?
Try catching some grasshoppers and feeding them to the quails - very entertaining!
I feed them some worms from my composting worm farm sometimes too, just as funny to watch! chickens get them too of course.
I am trying to breed mealworms, but not very successsful yet. Still alive and well, but not multiplying - have not seen any beetles yet.

 

[Redoliveberry]

Satay, you mentioned before you got some quail eggs from someone in Brisbane, I wonder if we got our eggs from the same source? I bought them from a guy called Brent in Ferny Grove.