Quail Story

14/11/2023

Yesterday we had a parrot visit our quail pen, tonight we had snake!

Thankfully the birds and dog altered us to a problem and the python was able to be removed before harming any quail, or getting harmed itself.

Hopefully we will see more of it, just not inside the quail enclosure!

21/10/2023

Today we got a fairy egg (the small one) . One of my hens has also been laying an amazing blue coloured egg with a dark band around the end.

I can't wait to pop those ones in the incubator.

02/10/2023

Quail egg French toast with honey is an absolute favourite of my children. 5x eggs per piece of bread works best, I used 6 each this time and it was just a bit too much egg.

If you’re still thinking “should I get quail” and you have toddlers, then the answer is “Yes you should!” 😍

28/09/2023

At this time of year we get a lot of enquires for both 🥚and 🐤. With the beautiful warm weather and increased sunlight ☀️ it’s easy to get ahead ⏰.

Currently I have 5 ladies that are laying daily, but the other half look like a right mess as they finish up their spring moult.

Feather production takes a lot of energy so they won’t lay during moulting, but as soon as their new feathers come through I should see a lot more eggs 🥰

26/09/2023

These two chickens have been a bit broody… so I slipped five quail eggs under the golden lace Wyandotte

Let’s see what happens!

18/09/2023

Our first egg for the season 😍

12/09/2023

Spring is well and truly here, and the birds are getting ready for their laying season. This means the boys are ramping up for.... what they do best....fertilise those eggs!

If you see this foam about on the floor of your pen, you'll know your boys are ready for action 😎

05/09/2023

Oh how the quail are loving this warm spring weather!

I’ve been digging out some of the rich soil from the pen and replacing it with fresh cut grass and leaves.

One thing I’ve found to be beneficial is to place a large log in the pen, it gives them a new surface to walk on (keeping feet clean) and gives them a little more side cover. However, it also provides them enrichment as the logs attract bugs that help break the wood down. Quail just love an opportunity to peck for bugs, so I rotate it every few weeks - free food!

25/08/2023

https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/guide-to-keeping-backyard-quails/102758316

They're smaller, quieter, and some may argue they're funnier than chickens. Quail can make excellent backyard companions.

15/08/2023

We cut down some bamboo from our garden and the quail are loving it. It’s simple things like this that help enrich their lives 🥰

10/08/2023

While it’s still quiet in the quail pen I’ve been working on a few other projects that I’ve wanted to do for some time.

Some of you may be thinking that aquaponics has very little to do with quail, and in some cases you may be right. But we strive to have healthy quail that gets lots of enrichment and so having home grown herbs that they will get to eat just makes sense.

Hopefully this is the start of something bigger, but for now I’m just working on establishing some mint in the top of our fish tank!

Next week I should have some updates on the quail pen, so stay tuned for that!

22/06/2023

It’s pretty clear that the soil from the quail pen is superior to the clay soil in the garden!

There are so many reasons to keep quail and improving the soil is a pretty good one IMO.

We have got to the point where I only buy in material for the brooder, the pens are just filled with organic material from the property such as leaves, branches, cut herbs, bamboo and grasses.

The next step will be getting more edible plants growing!

11/06/2023

Today we managed to get a few super worms 🐛 hopefully we can breed them up for the quail to enjoy ☺️

07/05/2023

It’s been a busy day today, the quail and chickens have been given some cold ash for dust bathing, some marigolds, lavender, rosemary, wormwood and grass. While I’ve cleared around our fruit trees and planted some seeds of beneficial flowering plants with the rich black soil taken from the quail pen 🥰

Oh and the chia is flowering at the moment too - I love the deep purple colours ❤️

28/04/2023

Having an edible garden is one of my goals, and keeping quail is a big part of my plan to live more sustainably and grow my own food. The rich soil I get from the pen is full of life and moisture, and the best part is that I don't buy any bedding to create this; I use resources from our property, such as leaves, bark, weeds, bamboo, sticks, mulch and even logs.

Today I've planted some garlic, so hopefully, some will grow.

25/04/2023

Today’s enrichment is bark and grass, I think these two are having fun 😍

20/04/2023

Last night and this morning we had quite a bit of rain so the pen was looking on the verge of getting muddy. Mud is not good for quail as it can lead to infections like bumble foot 😔 so it’s always better to be proactive and reduce the risks before problems arise.

So on the day before my wedding I’ve been busily mulching up some cut gum tree branches 😂 hopefully I scrub up ok in time for the big day 🤩

For good foot health I promote giving the birds access to multiple surfaces. One of the quail is wandering along the dry wooded pallet, behind that and out of view I also have a plastic crate, there is a bamboo section, turned earth section and finally the roofs of their little homes. 😍

17/04/2023

It’s interesting to see the colour variation between summer and winter plumage. This quail is looking a bit shabby as they change colours 😂

15/04/2023

We’ve had a few cool days and nights so I’ve had the fire going inside the house. Which means we get ash!
Once the ash is completely cool it makes an excellent dust bath for the quail 🥰

09/04/2023

Happy Easter, I hope you managed to collect a few quail eggs today.

We’ve been busily pruning the gum trees. Some of the lower branches were so dense with foliage we weren’t getting enough light in the pen. so not only do they have a lot more light now, but they’ve also got some freshly mulched bedding of tiger grass and eucalyptus ❤️

They are looking happy and it should reduce the amount of food they consume since they will be warmer! Win win, happy birds and saving money!

06/04/2023

Our breeding season is over. Stay tuned for updates as we make improvements over the cooler months

02/04/2023

I have a couple of breeding rooster’s. If you are looking for some interesting colours then check out these boys; a stunning dilute pharaoh and a beautiful dilute fawn snowy 😍😍😍

19/03/2023

Look at how big this grub is! 😮
I had to save it from being pecked out, as it would be too big for the quail to eat.

17/03/2023

The poor quails and chickens are a little stressed out with their visitor 😬

13/03/2023

II’ve got some stunning Roos at the moment and a couple of lovely hens. But you’ll have to get in quick as numbers are very limited. We get a lot of interest in our birds because they are so gentle and stunning colours.

I’m almost tempted to keep the boy in the first two photos as he is stunning. I’ve got several dilute Roos too ❤️❤️❤️

07/03/2023

Hot hot hot! Look after your birds today

28/02/2023

Dust bathing in the food bowl isn’t an efficient use of food 🙈

These babies are about two and half weeks old now and there are some stunning colours 😍

20/02/2023

Volume up for cute baby quail sounds!

I’ve moved the week old babies into the bigger undercover aviary to give them more space and fresh air. They aren’t exposed to rain, and still have their heat plate. It looks like they are enjoying it 😍

15/02/2023

Safety first, whenever I'm cleaning out and preparing the brooder, I always wear a respirator that protects against inhalation of dust particles.

I prefer to use natural materials from on-site where possible, and we have a lot of leaves; they make a great base upon which I put paper towels. I also use a piece of synthetic turf as this helps keep their feet clean and it doesn't absorb water drips from the water container. A couple of rocks to keep the paper towel from moving about, and that's about it. The heat plate doesn't take long to warm up and then the food gets sprinkled around and the babies go in 🥰

13/02/2023

Baby quail are hatching!