Suzyw Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Hi, I am looking after some quail and chickens for a friend for 10 weeks. Hens are no bother as I have my own so know what I am doing. Quail are very different so seeking a bit of reassurance/ advice. They are in a rabbit run and don't seem to do very much. Opposite of hens who care deeply about what I am doing and usually want to help, this lot sit and watch the world go by, or sit and look worried if I go near them. They don't go to bed which I can see is quail-like behaviour from other posts. The thing is I worry they are cold. They are covered up and secure from predators but am I worrying unnecessarily? Should I stress them out and try and make them sleep in the hay section or should I leave them? They have access at all times to the hay area, they just don't seem to want to go to bed. I tried to put them to bed the first night and they all trooped our again. They have got some logs to perch in but seem largely to ignore these. I have put shavings for them to scratch about in, and they ignore that too. Is there something I am missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahato3 Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Everything that you have mentioned is very typical of quail in my experience and I have kept both Chinese and Japanese for several years now. I have 2 groups at the moment one living in a large shed and the second living in a two storey rabbit hutch. They too have access to a warm enclosed area which they seldom use and appear much happier in the open wired sections day and night. We have double wired the outsides to make the holes smaller as they have a tendency to stay close to the wire and this can be risky. I should add that I try to create areas where they can hide and shelter such as upturned cardboard boxes, flower pots etc as they can be very skittish. Hope this helps...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzy Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Thank you for replying. Really helpful to know that this is normal. I assumed they would be like mini chickens and can see that is not the case. Appreciate the reassurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
