Fun and games for quail chicks

[ColleenC]

My quail are about two weeks old now, and I did something yesterday that they loved and was highly amusing for me, so I thought I'd share!

I am brooding them in a plastic bin, and when the bedding gets a bit mucky I have an identical bin that I set up with new bedding, transfer their food and water to, and then transfer the birds, one by one, into the new brooder.

This time though, as I added the bedding, I also sprinkled in a bunch of dried meal worms and mixed them into the bedding. When I put the quail in, it took them a minute or two to notice that there were treats hidden in the bedding, but once they caught on, it was like an hour long easter-egg hunt. They were kicking up the bedding all over, getting excited and rushing over when someone found a mealworm (and trying to steal it). They made an absolute mess of the place in terms of kicking bedding stuff into their food and water, but I've never seen them so excited before. it was hilarious!

So what sorts of things do you all do to amuse your quail (and entertain yourself)?

 

[SavageChick]

Just wait until you give them tiny live crickets - they will go nuts! There is another thread on quail games posted previously. Have you tried a tub of sand yet? Or, you can use Repti-sand in place of your normal bedding as a nice way for them to bathe and fluff up in, but it does get messy. My older pair like to chase a string of red yarn that I drag around in front of them. They also like to roll around some small parakeet toy balls with bells in them. Someone else on the other thread mentioned using a red-light cat toy for them to chase, so if you have one of those around, maybe see if that works.

 

[Mwilliams32931]

I love giving mine crickets. It is hysterical seeing them chasing them.