Coturnix Quail Colors -- Quail discussion thread

[Fenrisulfr]

Yes, ... 10 weeks from egg to mature is incredible

 

[410farmer]

Here’s some chicks from my order from myshire

 

[AJKQuail]

I love the colors of coturnix quail, but I would like them more if they acted like chickens. Our quail are extremely skittish.

It takes a lot of patience and handling, but we have 4 quail who are very tame and even hop up to sit on our shoulders. They come in the house to hang out and are very sweet!

 

[orloffer]

It takes a lot of patience and handling, but we have 4 quail who are very tame and even hop up to sit on our shoulders. They come in the house to hang out and are very sweet!

Wow, that is neat! I tried clipping the wings of my male quail once (Quail #1 in my first post) so that he could walk around in a dog exercise pen on the grass, but apparently he could still use his wings quite well.

 

[orloffer]

Here’s some chicks from my order from myshireView attachment 2258097View attachment 2258098View attachment 2258099View attachment 2258100View attachment 2258101View attachment 2258102View attachment 2258103View attachment 2258104View attachment 2258105

Beautiful quail, and nice pictures. They come in so many colors!

 

[MageofMist]

I love the colors of coturnix quail, but I would like them more if they acted like chickens. Our quail are extremely skittish.

I got Scrappy when he was a young adult male and he was a feisty bugger who'd run at you all puffed up and chattering angrily. However with paitence, love and lots of cuddles, I have tamed him to the point he'll just lay in your lap for pets and leans against your hand. He also crows at people if they don't give him attention.

 

[orloffer]

It's great that you were able to successfully tame him! I had a quail like that too, once. Whenever I put my hand in there, there was a good chance he would crouch down, run at it and peck! We ended up giving him and several other males to the feed store.
How exactly did you go about taming him? In the GIFs you posted above, both birds look so relaxed! I am always afraid my quail will fly away, because I don't have an aviary or anything to keep them contained.

 

[MageofMist]

It's great that you were able to successfully tame him! I had a quail like that too, once. Whenever I put my hand in there, there was a good chance he would crouch down, run at it and peck! We ended up giving him and several other males to the feed store.
How exactly did you go about taming him? In the GIFs you posted above, both birds look so relaxed! I am always afraid my quail will fly away, because I don't have an aviary or anything to keep them contained.

It is best to work on the taming within a room where he/she can't escape, get stuck or hurt themself, just sit around and/or do stuff around the room with the quail out and soon they'll figure out you aren't a threat and probably grow curious of you, especially if you offer them food. They tend to go nuts within a cage or pen, but once in a room, they tend to mellow out due to feeling less confined/cornered. Heck, Scrappy very rarely even flies and I gotta make him stretch his wings for exercise!

Most quail fly away, Scrappy flies towards you!

When Scrappy charged at me when he was younger, as he did if I made a sudden movement or entered the room after leaving it, I picked him up, he made panic noises, I cuddled him and put him on me or within my night gown, and he soon settled and eventually learned I wasn't some monster that wanted to eat him, but rather a big, warm and cuddly giant. With even more handing, he grew desensitized to being picked up and moved around, and actually pushes himself under my hand to be picked up in his cage to be taken out. XP

Now he is so tame, he refuses to leave my hand at times. I had to go to work, but he wanted me to stay! He was pushing down on my hand all stubborn.

 

[orloffer]

That is wonderful! Maybe I should try it sometime, with my younger male, Aurelius.

 

[MageofMist]

That is wonderful! Maybe I should try it sometime, with my younger male, Aurelius.

It will take time and paitence, Scrappy is nearly 4 years old and is only as tame as he is because of near enough daily handling and coddling as he is essentially an unofficial emotional support bird at this point, even when he was all fighty, I handled him and his late brother Bambi daily and let them walk around outside the cage during the day and put them away at night... If they didn't go back in the cage himself. XD

Bambi was a rebel, he was as tame as Scrappy, but one time he hopped up the stairs where he wasn't allowed and he wanted to stay in a particular room... I had him 'cornered' eventually, where his only option, or so I thought, was to leave the room so I could close the door... He jumped over my head and then stood all proud and mighty in the middle of the room.
I gave up and let him stay in that room until bedtime.