adventures of an Aussie Quail breeder

sharing my quail breeding adventures. i breed Coturnix Quail for meat, eggs and the enjoyment of raising these wonderful birds.   

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I met death and they were a goose.

[goose-that-bites-you]

*bites you*

[taz-clark]

Becoming a near daily occurrence that I forget I have bird eggs in my pocket.

Shame me for collecting them each morning and forgetting they go in the fridge.

[taz-quails]

My children, half feathered already. Barely 2wks old. So big. So strong.

[taz-quails]

babies!!

(yes, they will get more space very soon. i've learnt they need to be kept in a small area for the first few days or they tend to get "lost" in the colder corners of the brood box)

[taz-quails]

seconds old and already done with this shit

[taz-quails]

been a super long time since i posted on this blog. mainly because i moved a few years ago and had to give up my quails as there just wasnt room to keep them. however, a month ago i move house again to a place in the country and im making efforts to set things up and get quails again.

so with some work, i should be back on this blog soon with pics of bby birds :3

[taz-quails]

sad news friends. 

Eat The Rich, my dearest most lovely quail, must soon be put down. in the most basic of terms, her egg factory has become a tumor. and even if i was willing to put her through the tests, scans and surgeries, her chances are very very low. assuming she even survives surgery itself. 

so im not having a good day. and im not looking forward to having to do the deed of ending her either. 

[taz-quails]

the plan: 

find someone to sell me 2 hens so my remaining bird wont be alone once i kill Eat The Rich. 

do the killing part. try not to cry. fail, cry a lot. 

keep the skull and the wings! both of which i have different plans to accomplish. the wings will be something i havent tried before. so….. 

[taz-quails]

the deed is done. and im putting these wings in a box filled with salt, we’ll see if it works  the head i placed in a tiny wire cage i built and is sitting near my compost pile for the ants to clean up. 

[taz-quails]

the result. 

skull was a failure and had to be discarded but the wings worked out and now sit pretty in a frame. 

[michellet-1]

Can someone please tell what type of noise this is?!? It’s VERY UNUSUAL for her! Maybe she is mimicking the outside birds? I hope this isn’t a sign or noise of distress, she isn’t acting different but it makes me nervous! There is so many people on here with knowledge and experience with birds, please tell me what you think!

[flock-talk]

If we’re talking the 5-7 second mark I typically hear that noise in response to fear. Mia has made that sound when she feels trapped and Newt is too close for her comfort, as soon as he is moved away she settles and relaxes. With my birds it’s typically used as a panicked “help” noise where they can’t escape/ are too scared to move/ defending a nesting site and are either trying to scare away the offender or get someone else to come by and help their fight.

It doesn’t happen often but for me it’s always a dire “please help me, I’m scared”.

Since they’re watching the wildlife it’s very possible that a big swaying branch or large bird/ squirrel/ critter suddenly startles them. They may be making the sound in response to save their territory (cage) or just because they’re between those bars on the ladder and may not feel like they’re capable of escaping (tonic immobility may also be at play there). They are somewhat thin in the video with a pretty buggy eye so they do appear to be somewhat concerned at what’s going on outside which settles down a bit back to curiosity when you approach/ provide safety.

It is possible that they’re just trying to use different vocalizations to interact with the wildlife but I haven’t personally seen that vocalization used in that manner, they usually make up new ones for that.

[taz-quails]

i played the audio for my budgie who went into panic flight mode until he landed on me and calmed down again. 

so. whatever that tells you.

[mellifexfarm]

source

[taz-quails]

Miss Sussex has gone broody. now i love a broody hen, but there are no fertile eggs around. 

so guess who’s trying to find her some fertile eggs?

[taz-quails]

im negotiating with a breeder for 6 eggs. i would prefer to get some day-old chicks and slip them under her but everyone in my area is selling chicks either too old to fool my hen or i’d have to wait the 3wks for them to get more anyway. so eggs it is. 

if my negotiations are successful, the eggs will be a mixed isa brown/ cochin chickens. 

one day, i would love to get a small breed such as a Silky or Seabright and experiment with chickens hatching quail eggs. i know it can be done if smaller chicken breeds are used. larger breeds typically either crush the eggs outright or eat the tiny chicks as they hatch. not good. 

[taz-quails]

Miss Sussex has gone broody. now i love a broody hen, but there are no fertile eggs around. 

so guess who’s trying to find her some fertile eggs?

[taz-quails]

"This girl I had for 2 years stopped laying." If a hen lays over 200 eggs a year, after 2-3 years she's done. Some people can get a production hen who lays after that but that's like, a few eggs per year

your right. its unlikely i’ll get anything out of her but i promised my friend i would at least try before sending her to the dinner table. understandably he has a fondness for this hen and couldnt butcher her himself. but i have the time, so lets try. 

[taz-quails]

An update, she's been laying every day. Her eggs are smaller and white compared to the two other hens who lay large brown eggs so it's very easy to tell. She was actually the first to start laying and has been consistent since. Today, she even decided to go broody which I love but have to break her out of it. I don't have fertile eggs to give her, nor do I have the space for more chickens. Hopefully once I move house, she can be as broody as she likes because I would love to start a food production of chickens.

[taz-quails]

Proof that Bum Chicken can "shake" on command. It's so hard to film him though, he gets so damn excited when the phone appears that it's hard to get him to do anything.

[taz-quails]

my budgie’s new Thing is to land on my left shoulder, awkwardly crawl down the front of my shirt, then back up to get to my right shoulder. 

[taz-quails]

sad news friends. 

Eat The Rich, my dearest most lovely quail, must soon be put down. in the most basic of terms, her egg factory has become a tumor. and even if i was willing to put her through the tests, scans and surgeries, her chances are very very low. assuming she even survives surgery itself. 

so im not having a good day. and im not looking forward to having to do the deed of ending her either. 

[taz-quails]

the plan: 

find someone to sell me 2 hens so my remaining bird wont be alone once i kill Eat The Rich. 

do the killing part. try not to cry. fail, cry a lot. 

keep the skull and the wings! both of which i have different plans to accomplish. the wings will be something i havent tried before. so….. 

[taz-quails]

the deed is done. and im putting these wings in a box filled with salt, we’ll see if it works  the head i placed in a tiny wire cage i built and is sitting near my compost pile for the ants to clean up. 

[taz-quails]

sad news friends. 

Eat The Rich, my dearest most lovely quail, must soon be put down. in the most basic of terms, her egg factory has become a tumor. and even if i was willing to put her through the tests, scans and surgeries, her chances are very very low. assuming she even survives surgery itself. 

so im not having a good day. and im not looking forward to having to do the deed of ending her either. 

[taz-quails]

the plan: 

find someone to sell me 2 hens so my remaining bird wont be alone once i kill Eat The Rich. 

do the killing part. try not to cry. fail, cry a lot. 

keep the skull and the wings! both of which i have different plans to accomplish. the wings will be something i havent tried before. so..... 

[taz-quails]

sad news friends. 

Eat The Rich, my dearest most lovely quail, must soon be put down. in the most basic of terms, her egg factory has become a tumor. and even if i was willing to put her through the tests, scans and surgeries, her chances are very very low. assuming she even survives surgery itself. 

so im not having a good day. and im not looking forward to having to do the deed of ending her either.