I think I must have the worlds most difficult quail.
There was a pretty big incident in the coop last week, Penguin one of the two super sweet quail that sit in my lap and are pretty much pets was badly injured by one of the other quail. Someone had pecked her eyes, and I wasn't sure if she would be blind for five days. I hand feed her and sat in anguish that I hadn't taken care of the overactive males. So out those little jerks went, the blond brothers, Thor and Gambit. Harley Quinn could stay, he was so tiny if he bothered anyone he was easily stopped by any hen.
Penguin.
After a few sad days she was able to open her eyes and is back to her usual cheerful self. Nothing permanent, glad to have her back.
I realized I was going to have to pair out my quail.
Thor and Tweedle where first. Tweedle has gone crazy. She would shriek like a tiny pterodactyl then launch herself at other birds. I figured she could handle Thor.
I put them both in kennels facing each other for a few days to get used to the thought of being together. As soon as the where sleeping next to the doors, as close as they could get to each other I put them together.
It worked perfectly, they are so in love. Thor protects her from me every time I feed them by standing in front of her and puffing up. It is hilarious. One pairing down, three more to go.
Next it was going to be Gambit and EGGZILLA.
Frankly Gambit is the cutest quail I have ever seen, it is ridiculous. He has a little bib of white, and is super round and bright red with little short legs. I picked EGGZILLA for him because she thinks Harley Quinn is lame, puny and has a girls name. (I thought he was a hen for the first four months to be fair.)
EGGZILLA is the hen with a mustache. She also has horrible posture, she is always looks like she has a bit of a hunch. They are happy together.
The next to be matched up is Cricket. He is a bachelor for now.
It is crazy how aggressive these tiny cute birds are.
I was talking to my Mom about the quails being mean. Her boyfriend raises them too. She said they could take down a turkey in the wild. I'm skeptical they could do that, but can't deny they are able to inflict some serious damage on each other. I hope I really love hatching babies in the spring, because the males are the worst. They cause so many fights. My coop would be so peaceful without them. If I was just rising them for the eggs I would only have hens. It would cut out all the drama.
