The culling is more of a last resort. I would have liked to keep the roo to breed for chicks as his color was absolutely beautiful but he crowed nonstop from the hours of 12am-4am. I even moved him indoors along with his hens in case it was something bothering him outside but no go, he crowed his head off for over a week even in a pitch black room. His brother rarely crowed so it wasn't anything environmental, maybe he really loved the sound of his voice...
My quail are skittish and nervous, especially when humans are in sight, and not all of them get along with each other so well either. They don't stand being picked up or petted.What's not to relate to? They just want to be comfy and lazy and snuggle into a pile of fresh, dry bedding. I don't know about you, but if I could spend all my time doing those things, I'd be over the moon.
Yes, quail crow. It isn't like a chicken crow, but I can hear it through my bedroom window at 5 AM most days.
I'm afraid I can relate to that all too well. I'm pretty sure my quail would love nothing more than for me to keep the food coming, and leave them alone otherwise.
Basically I meant that as far as I can tell, chickens are better at reading and predicting one's actions, and then acting accordingly, than quail are.I'm afraid I can relate to that all too well. I'm pretty sure my quail would love nothing more than for me to keep the food coming, and leave them alone otherwise.
I try to be respectful of their prey instincts and handle them only when they come to me. I hope maybe in time they will decide I'm trustworthy and will come to me more often, and tolerate more handling.
Even in this though, I can relate to them as well. I'd be pretty skittish myself if a GIANT were trying to cuddle with me.
That makes sense! Kinda like how most of the dog breeds that tend to be considered most intelligent/trainable happen to be more on the medium-to-large end of the spectrum, where tiny dog breeds tend to have a reputation for being doofy. Quail are like the tiny dogs of poultry, perhaps? More aloof and less tuned in to their humans.
That's a nice comparison! There are always some exceptions, of course. My 16 pound terrier mix is quite intelligent. He is also very energetic and enthusiastic, however, and therefore hard to calm down enough for a good training session.
Your puppy sounds very cute, and similar in temperment to mine.
My fur-baby is a 25-pound mutt (half McNab & half Jack Russel/Rat Terrier). She's 100% ball-motivated, and sees each of my quail as a ball she is DESPERATE to catch. It's a weird dynamic, but luckily for our quail, their enclosure is an unassailable fortress.
Yes, I think the drive to fetch a ball and the drive to possess the ball are very similar. My dog frequently gets the two confused. She'll bring me a ball to throw, proudly displaying it in her mouth; but then when I put my hand out to take it from her, she'll take it back out of my reach, still in her mouth, and won't drop it. It's as if she can't make up her mind if she wants me to throw it, or if she wants to just HAVE it.
