Quails Are Dumb is A Myth

[Quail-mama]

As a quail owner and I have worked closely with vets and have other rescued animals. I felt I needed to clear up this misunderstanding by many who say quails are dumb birds. These game birds are really smarter than you think. They are inquisitive birds and will sit in the hands of their owners to watch T.V. They will race to greet you at the door and even talking softly to you. I have watched the males I have come across an exposed egg and gently cover it up in the bedding with his beak as he passes by. Males can be very protective of their females. They get very upset when one is taken from them. They will crow and may start biting the hand that removed it from its pen. They are basically gentle birds by nature but you can upset them making them aggressive. I have one I raised from an egg that now bites me only , since I removed his sick female. She didn't make it and he mourned becoming very angry with me . He ran up to me and opening his beak as wide as he could so I could see down his pink throat started yelling loudly as if he was screaming he wasn't happy with me. I felt badly for him that his female died and as her sister mourned as well. She constantly pacing back and forth in cage calling out for her and looking around stretching her neck out and she became nervous and hyper. I added 3 young females to his pen but this male doesn't trust me anymore and became aggressive. In protecting his females from me he frantically tries to round them all together in one corner putting himself between me and them. He will also come after my hand when removing the eggs as well. This is far from a dumb quail who clearly thinks he is in survival mode. I don't believe God makes dumb creatures. They are misunderstood birds an we shouldn't assume they are dumb because we don't think like they do. They are worthy of our respect and consideration when caring for them.

 

[Pork Pie]

Thanks for sharing your insight and welcome to BYC

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Glad that you joined! Good luck with your quail!

 

[Rhiannon_In_Nature]

Since hatching my little flock, it has seemed to me they have more going on in their little heads than we give them credit for. Mine all seem to have different personalities and I think you need at least some intelligence to have a unique personality.

 

[Quail-mama]

Since hatching my little flock, it has seemed to me they have more going on in their little heads than we give them credit for. Mine all seem to have different personalities and I think you need at least some intelligence. Even an alligator with a pea sized brain has the ability to outwit their prey and survive all these centuries. They maybe cold blooded creatures but they do have personalities according to Trappers & Gatorland experts. I hate reading or hearing others speak so poorly about these bird intelligence. It can lead to mistreatment or abuse of an animal. Thanks for your post

 

[Megpj123]

hello, since you know about quails, I'm wondering with my quails they just moved into there coop outside however they have been out there for about 3 weeks and every night I have to force them back into the cage/home. and i have ad chickens before and they normally go back into their home when it gets dark but the quails don't do that. is there a special way I can get them to do it or is it not going to change?

 

[Nabiki]

Quail don't have the roost/home instinct that chickens have. They settle down wherever they are. If you chase them in every night, it will get easier, but it's unlikely that they will go in on their own.

 

[maadroj]

Quail don't have an instinct to go back into a coop the way chickens do. If you keep them in the coop for a while, maybe they would get used to it and return at night, but maybe not. Are they coturnix quail? These generally prefer staying on the ground. I've heard that if their boxes are on the ground, they may use them more regularly for sleep and/or nesting. Their instincts are just different from chickens.

 

[Quailer2]

As a quail owner and I have worked closely with vets and have other rescued animals. I felt I needed to clear up this misunderstanding by many who say quails are dumb birds. These game birds are really smarter than you think. They are inquisitive birds and will sit in the hands of their owners to watch T.V. They will race to greet you at the door and even talking softly to you. I have watched the males I have come across an exposed egg and gently cover it up in the bedding with his beak as he passes by. Males can be very protective of their females. They get very upset when one is taken from them. They will crow and may start biting the hand that removed it from its pen. They are basically gentle birds by nature but you can upset them making them aggressive. I have one I raised from an egg that now bites me only , since I removed his sick female. She didn't make it and he mourned becoming very angry with me . He ran up to me and opening his beak as wide as he could so I could see down his pink throat started yelling loudly as if he was screaming he wasn't happy with me. I felt badly for him that his female died and as her sister mourned as well. She constantly pacing back and forth in cage calling out for her and looking around stretching her neck out and she became nervous and hyper. I added 3 young females to his pen but this male doesn't trust me anymore and became aggressive. In protecting his females from me he frantically tries to round them all together in one corner putting himself between me and them. He will also come after my hand when removing the eggs as well. This is far from a dumb quail who clearly thinks he is in survival mode. I don't believe God makes dumb creatures. They are misunderstood birds an we shouldn't assume they are dumb because we don't think like they do. They are worthy of our respect and consideration when caring for them.

Your message was pretty inspirational (atleast for me) and I also think they should be respected.

 

[ThePouch]

As a quail owner and I have worked closely with vets and have other rescued animals. I felt I needed to clear up this misunderstanding by many who say quails are dumb birds. These game birds are really smarter than you think. They are inquisitive birds and will sit in the hands of their owners to watch T.V. They will race to greet you at the door and even talking softly to you. I have watched the males I have come across an exposed egg and gently cover it up in the bedding with his beak as he passes by. Males can be very protective of their females. They get very upset when one is taken from them. They will crow and may start biting the hand that removed it from its pen. They are basically gentle birds by nature but you can upset them making them aggressive. I have one I raised from an egg that now bites me only , since I removed his sick female. She didn't make it and he mourned becoming very angry with me . He ran up to me and opening his beak as wide as he could so I could see down his pink throat started yelling loudly as if he was screaming he wasn't happy with me. I felt badly for him that his female died and as her sister mourned as well. She constantly pacing back and forth in cage calling out for her and looking around stretching her neck out and she became nervous and hyper. I added 3 young females to his pen but this male doesn't trust me anymore and became aggressive. In protecting his females from me he frantically tries to round them all together in one corner putting himself between me and them. He will also come after my hand when removing the eggs as well. This is far from a dumb quail who clearly thinks he is in survival mode. I don't believe God makes dumb creatures. They are misunderstood birds an we shouldn't assume they are dumb because we don't think like they do. They are worthy of our respect and consideration when caring for them.

Very well stated and so true... Every species has a purpose and unique behavior as well as a thought process. As a wildlife rehabber I have witnessed many animals display sensitive behavior and respond to loss.