I couldn't believe these quails could actually hatch from grocery market eggs!@! DIY: I put the (fertilized) eggs inside a plastic container outside the fridge because that was a warm spot. I also added a hot water bottle wrapped in towel for additional warmth. 15 days later, they hatched with no expensive incubator. Meet my pet quails, 'Split' & 'Ding Dong'.
Day 1: Guess why I named one of my quails 'Split'? He was born with splayed legs and had trouble walking. The chances of fixing those legs are higher when taken immediate action. I researched on splayed/spraddle legs and decided to use the straw and rubber band method. I left it on him for 48 hours. After removal, he was walking totally fine! (Method: use one mini rubber band about 1 inch and 1/2 inch straw. Pull band through straw and wrap around each leg.) Just google it, you can probably find a better explanation ;D
How to tell a male & female apart:
Males generally have a more orange/dark golden brown front feathers, smaller, lighter, & make crowing sounds. Their droppings carry white foam at a certain age. I did not want to squeeze their vents to check their sex so I waited till they were a little older to observe.
Females generally larger, heavier, more black dots on front feathers, quieter, make tiny chirping sounds, & they lay eggs! Note: From my own observations. I am obviously not an expert so please do your own research.
Split & Ding Dong's first picnic at the beach. They love hunting for sand bubbler crabs, but they are not fast enough for the clever crabs.
I did not clip their wings so they can fly.....high! Watch video of Split flying here. Royalty Free Music by Bensound.com
Around 6-7 weeks, 'Ding Dong' started laying eggs of her own. One egg a day up till today.
This is their DIY playpen I made using metal pipes, plastic mesh, & cardboard, decorated with branches and stones. They love eating meal worms, small insects, & crumble, and also taking long dust baths in their sand box.
I had to build separate cages for them as Split has been getting very aggressive towards Ding Dong. Mating season I suppose?
Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I had fun making it!
Until next time, have a great day!
J
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