My Quail Experience
Yesterday I was responsible for chicken care while the kids got to go to see the fireworks at Butchart Gardens, one of Victoria's better known tourist traps. Mum was taking Gramma on their annual pilgrimmage and Selena had to go with them since I was working, then Ryan had a day off, so he got to go as well. (All this also meant I got to have a quiet evening at home alone with the pets //grin//, so I treated myself to giant shrimp //yeah, I know// in a lemon saffron cream sauce, cous cous with lemon & cilantro, with asparagus, carrots and baby bok choy. Mmmmm.)
So, anyway, I checked on the chickens when I took the dogs out for business and noticed 2 quail in the chicken run. They saw me and the dogs, tried to escape but couldn't since the run is fenced and covered in net. I'm still not sure how they got in there. Later, when it was getting dark, I took the dogs for their final business, and went to shut the hens into the coop. I'm standing there trying to count them on their roost in the dark when this fluttering and bumping goes on behind me. Scared the stuffing out of me!
I turn and see one of the quail frantically trying to get out. No sign of the other one. Finally I managed to corner it and grab it. At first it was quiet, then it started flapping it's little wings, struggling and letting out the most pitiful noise. I'm sure it thought I was going to eat it. I pin it's wings down, take it out through the greenhouse and let it go. Off it flew, just ahead of the cats, who had heard it's cries for help and were hoping for a snack (no they didn't get it).
So, anyway, I checked on the chickens when I took the dogs out for business and noticed 2 quail in the chicken run. They saw me and the dogs, tried to escape but couldn't since the run is fenced and covered in net. I'm still not sure how they got in there. Later, when it was getting dark, I took the dogs for their final business, and went to shut the hens into the coop. I'm standing there trying to count them on their roost in the dark when this fluttering and bumping goes on behind me. Scared the stuffing out of me!
I turn and see one of the quail frantically trying to get out. No sign of the other one. Finally I managed to corner it and grab it. At first it was quiet, then it started flapping it's little wings, struggling and letting out the most pitiful noise. I'm sure it thought I was going to eat it. I pin it's wings down, take it out through the greenhouse and let it go. Off it flew, just ahead of the cats, who had heard it's cries for help and were hoping for a snack (no they didn't get it).
posted by Sue at
6:07 PM
2 Comments:
I can totally relate to your quail story. We have two families of quail who traipse through our property every day. Once in a while we'll startle them and one will fly into the wire around the garden and break its neck or wing.
If your cats catch a quail and you don't want them to do that, grab the dead quail and the cat and knock the quail corpse over the cat's nose a couple of times. Dad did this to our cats and they learned very quickly that quail (and other birds) are off the menu.
We don't have dogs, but Dad said that they occassionally get a taste for chickens. When this happens he said you need to tie the corpse of the chicken around the dog's neck until it rots off. If that doesn't work, the only "cure" for the dog is a bullet in the head. (Dad had all kinds of good farm wisdom like that.)
By
Rowena Hart, At
6:53 PM PDT
So far the cat boys aren't good enough for birds, they mostly get the ground dwellers. Iolaus, even though he is dead grass coloured, can't stalk worth beans. Sorsha was our bird cat but she is retired. //grin//
I'm sure Skye the Rabbit Killer would love to have a go at the chickens. I dunno about a rotting carcass coming in the house though. . .
By
Sue, At
8:56 AM PDT
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