One of the additions to our homestead this year were quail that I got The Husband for his birthday. He has been fascinated with the little birds for ages, and when he turned 50...well... it seemed like a cheaper gift than a sports car.
Unfortunately, we had the Wee Littles for only a few weeks a raccoon tore the pen apart and The Husband came home to his little treasures in pieces - many of the in the duck pool where they had thoroughly washed.
Cute human-like hands or none, we don't like raccoons around here...
All that remained were two frightened, unhappy little ladies that had hidden in their box and remained still during the massacre. They allowed themselves to be caught, place in the new and raccoon-proofed hutch and over time they began to settle down.
Eventually I was able to score this handsome fellow to be their companion.
While he was bigger than the two remaining ladies, they bullied him incessantly when he first arrived! Now, however, the three of them snuggle together at night and chatter together by day.
Our newly dubbed "Tinys" (they don't have individual names) seem to have completely recovered from their attack now. The two females have developed strong personalities and frequently holler at me as I walk by if they want something. The constant upset to their lives has obviously affected laying, but we did get almost 2 dozen teeny eggs in the fall before shorter days cut laying altogether.
This year we hope to either hatch a few eggs, or find a few more quail and move them to larger quarters where they will be able to finally learn to fly and live under more natural conditions. We have considered a larger hutch to start, but eventually hope to have a small hot house where they will be able to stay warm year round and maybe if we get lucky, we will even get a broody girl!
Here's hoping.
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