....(sigh)...Well, we have a little female blue quail living in the backyard.
They aren't native to south Texas. She was released by a hunting club and survived the hunt and started hanging around with our cattle. The little thing had a sore leg but was running between the hooves when we'd feed and bedding down in the hay barn. DH caught her, brought her home and put her in the little pen with the pheasants. They all got along great for a few days and then one of the pheasants pecked her head bloody and her eye was swolen. Soooooo into the cat carrier and in the dining room she came and stayed about 10 days. DH would take her out at night and put her in his shirt to watch tv and she recovered just fine. We have a little tractor that 4 of the chickens sleep in (and no pens left) so we put her and carrier in the tractor and only let the chickens in to sleep. Fast forward a month which was day before yesterday. The little back door of the tractor came open and she got out. DH thoght he'd catch her at dark but she flew over the fence and waaaay over the neighbors fence...in the dark...she was gone. He tried not to act like it but he was a little heartbroken.
Yesterday morning. I'm cleaning out the tractor and I see her shadow move outside our privacy fence! She was trying to get back in! I dug a little hole on the inside and went outside the fence and dug a little hole; she knew it was for her and went right under...I couldn't believe it. She is now walking around the backyard with the chickens, eating their food, drinking their water and bedding down under the bamboo where they do during the day when they rest. She will get within 2 feet of us (and our collie) and is perfectly happy as long as we don't try to touch her. I'm concerned that a predator will eventually get her at night (a cat or snake maybe) but for now she sure seems happy. We have a pet quail. I guess we'll have to name her...
They aren't native to south Texas. She was released by a hunting club and survived the hunt and started hanging around with our cattle. The little thing had a sore leg but was running between the hooves when we'd feed and bedding down in the hay barn. DH caught her, brought her home and put her in the little pen with the pheasants. They all got along great for a few days and then one of the pheasants pecked her head bloody and her eye was swolen. Soooooo into the cat carrier and in the dining room she came and stayed about 10 days. DH would take her out at night and put her in his shirt to watch tv and she recovered just fine. We have a little tractor that 4 of the chickens sleep in (and no pens left) so we put her and carrier in the tractor and only let the chickens in to sleep. Fast forward a month which was day before yesterday. The little back door of the tractor came open and she got out. DH thoght he'd catch her at dark but she flew over the fence and waaaay over the neighbors fence...in the dark...she was gone. He tried not to act like it but he was a little heartbroken.
Yesterday morning. I'm cleaning out the tractor and I see her shadow move outside our privacy fence! She was trying to get back in! I dug a little hole on the inside and went outside the fence and dug a little hole; she knew it was for her and went right under...I couldn't believe it. She is now walking around the backyard with the chickens, eating their food, drinking their water and bedding down under the bamboo where they do during the day when they rest. She will get within 2 feet of us (and our collie) and is perfectly happy as long as we don't try to touch her. I'm concerned that a predator will eventually get her at night (a cat or snake maybe) but for now she sure seems happy. We have a pet quail. I guess we'll have to name her...
