Hatching and raising Cali Quail with a Bantam chook

[chooknlover]

Thanks Couchie! Because my quail were hatched by a chicken mother, they probably think they are chickens. They are 2 weeks and 5 days old now, still 5 alive;
and mum brings them to the communal feeding place late afternoon, and all of the flock eat together. When the bantam stops mothering them (I imagine about 6 weeks old)
the chicks may end up leaving the backyard, I don't know. But I'm hoping they will roost in the same tree at night and return for feeding time...ongoing experiment.
I'm pretty sure yours would leave the pen and possibly not return??? Unless they are like a chicken and return home to their own bed? Maybe not worth finding out

PS thanks for reading - I was going to delete this thread in the first week, cos I thought no-one was interested - but I didn't know how - so I thought, frack it, I'll just carry on. documenting my research

 

[chooknlover]

PS Yesterday I didnt see Mum and chicks ALL DAY. I was a little worried, because I had heard owls again last night. Havn't heard them for a couple of months, but as my chickens love to roost on the very topmost branches (because they're idiots trying to be top chook, even when its raining, but in theory, cats can't climb up to those branches in a tangelo tree, but I'm sure thats not why the the chooks do it), I was concerned the next day. Anyhoo they turned up at afternoon feed time! Brilliant.
My back lawn has grown exponentially and really needed a mow, but I didnt dare since they went free range. Today I mowed all around their roost tree and far back area, as I saw them on the other side, even thought it is SO bloody hot here, I couldnt wait until it cooled down, because then they would be roosting and I didnt want to scare them out of their tree and ruin the equilibrium we have established.
So now I'm just watching them roam around the mown bits, scratching and pecking, and I can watch them walk up their little ramp in to the tree. (I made a ramp for a past chicken, long gone now, that was so un-coordinated it couldn't flap up into the tree. They all use it now)
And I can mow all the other bits tomorrow.

 

[Couchie]

You said you took photos of the quail in a tree. I'd be interested in seeing that.

 

[chooknlover]

You said you took photos of the quail in a tree. I'd be interested in seeing that.

Oh, no I took photos of her resting on the ground with them sitting on top of her. I have to get my old laptop out to put the SD card into....new laptop of 2 years has no opening for one. Will get it now, thanks! I need a kick up the bum.

 

[Couchie]

Don get a new laptop for my sake lol however I hope you realise you can just a SD card reader that fits into a usb slot. Much cheaper

 

[chooknlover]

 

[chooknlover]