Welcoming Quail Into My Homestead. Week One.

This picture is Freckle, my sweetest friend of the flock.

I was so excited to get Quail. After visiting Montana and eating Quail eggs everyday, I couldn't wait to get my own. I called everyone on craigslist and found the kind I was looking for up north of me. Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) I had been told by my Moms boyfriend that they were a good beginner quail. He has 800 quail, so I figured that was a good place to start. Also I fell in love with their sweet, quiet personalities. And lets be real here, they are so freaking cute!

I arrived at the mans house who raised the quail. He had picked out 40 of them for me to choose from, keeping in mind my request for unusual colored ones. I was hoping to be able to tell them apart and a glance, and with quail that can be hard. I wanted ten females, and two males, a ratio that I wanted to try. Males can get aggressive if there is to many. Also they don't lay eggs, so the less the better. My reasons for having them at all is, fertilized eggs are more nutritious. In some incidences the quail have not wanted to lay without a male. And it can calm the females and get them to cool down on their pecking order.
We loaded them up and started the two hour drive home.

My husband and I stopped to check on the quail and grab something to drink and found three eggs! We haven't even gotten home yet. But by the time we did there was a total of five eggs. The tiny birds were winning me over.

My husband and I put together this little coop kit that we were gifted for our wedding. Fits the quail perfect.

FLASH FORWARD A WEEK.

The quail are settling in nicely.
They laid six eggs the second day then stopped completely for four days. Currently I'm getting one a day. They were stressed by the move so I have been reading its natural for them to do that. Should be back to normal in a few days. I love them so much. They are such sensitive, sweet birds. Four of them will jump right into my hand. The white one likes to sit in my lap, and when she sees me coming jumps up and down in excitement. I am Mother of the Flock and loving it!

This is Penguin, she is very pretty with her cat eyes.

My biggest challenge this week was figuring out their nutrition. I will be doing a separate post on that because its important to raising these birds.

The red one is one of the two boys, Gambit. And the other two are my blonds.

This is eggzilla, notice the white mustache?

This is my other boy Thor.

Harley Quinn getting nosy in the camera.

This is Henrietta, she is shy and carful but she still will walk up to you and hangout.

My niece is in love with frozen, so this one is named Elsa of course.

It has been a grand adventure learning to be a quail Mama. I have been rewarded in many ways that are not eggs. I bought twelve tiny livestock, but got twelve mini friends instead, Eggzilla, Gambit, Thor, Henrietta, Harley Quinn, Freckle, Flock-a, Phoenix, Elsa, Anna, Penguin and Mystique.

Thank you for looking and reading, its been great being on steemit. If you like what I have been posting so far lets be friends! Follow me and my nature or farm filled adventures in the sunny California coast. Big Love!