Quickwitter

Nov 27

Coturnix Eggs Okay, so I picked up 11 five-week old chicks awhile back, and then two of them were bantams (half-size) and one of the bantams turned out to be a rooster. So, after trying to find homes for them on my chicken list, I found a guy on Craig’s List looking to trade  for quail. We emailed then I drove out and dropped off the birds. I was supposed to pick up 3 quail, but he gave me all 19. I know nothing about quail — well, except that California Quail are our State Bird. So, as with all things fowl, 13 of the quail get along and they pick on the smallest six, so I have to keep them separated. On Wednesday, as we were leaving for Vegas, I did a final check on the birds and found an egg in the quail cage. An EGG! I knew this was a possibility, but what a shock! These are the smallest quail — Japanese Coturnix — dressed to eat, they would probably be the size of a lemon. We returned from Vegas at midnight last night. When i checked on the birds there were two more eggs in the nest box, plus one that our pet sitter collected and another this morning. So, here they are in all their glory — are our quail eggs to date. Another 15 or 20 and we can have breakfast. From the other 13 quail - nada (though several are male and have been awfully frisky lately), and from the 13 chickens, well, nine are too young and the four I added didn’t start laying this fall either because they molted or because the idiot vegans that were raising them didn’t give them enough protein to lay. They likely won’t start laying until spring. But the little guys - Heros in my book!

Coturnix Eggs

Okay, so I picked up 11 five-week old chicks awhile back, and then two of them were bantams (half-size) and one of the bantams turned out to be a rooster. So, after trying to find homes for them on my chicken list, I found a guy on Craig’s List looking to trade  for quail. We emailed then I drove out and dropped off the birds. I was supposed to pick up 3 quail, but he gave me all 19. I know nothing about quail — well, except that California Quail are our State Bird.

So, as with all things fowl, 13 of the quail get along and they pick on the smallest six, so I have to keep them separated.

On Wednesday, as we were leaving for Vegas, I did a final check on the birds and found an egg in the quail cage. An EGG! I knew this was a possibility, but what a shock! These are the smallest quail — Japanese Coturnix — dressed to eat, they would probably be the size of a lemon.

We returned from Vegas at midnight last night. When i checked on the birds there were two more eggs in the nest box, plus one that our pet sitter collected and another this morning. So, here they are in all their glory — are our quail eggs to date. Another 15 or 20 and we can have breakfast.

From the other 13 quail - nada (though several are male and have been awfully frisky lately), and from the 13 chickens, well, nine are too young and the four I added didn’t start laying this fall either because they molted or because the idiot vegans that were raising them didn’t give them enough protein to lay. They likely won’t start laying until spring. But the little guys - Heros in my book!