So time for some updates:Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I'm down to 14 now. One had a bum leg and got fed off a day or two after I got them. An adult corn made it quick work. They have started to feather out nicely and really showing their colors.
Care: They are pretty easy to care for. Their food is relatively cheap for the amount you get and since they are so small they really don't eat much. I've started to hand feed them so they are a little less jumpy. A large bag (maybe 50lbs) of game bird feed is only about $20. Care has to be taken when opening their enclosure as they will jump up several feet then take flight, but they are easy to scoop up.
Smell: They do produce some smell but it is more a sweet/sour smell vs the ammonia smell of mice. The smell is very similar to chickens or other farm animals. The down fall is they just poop anywhere they want vs a rodent that will typically us the same corner for excrement.
Water: This has been my biggest issue so far. I tried to use a gravity fed water bottle with a quail base. They will either splash the water out onto the bedding or kick bedding into the water. Then I tried elevating the water on a 2x4 with the same results. Those two tries I was doing daily or every other day bedding changes. Next attempt was to put the water in a shallow Tupperware container to contain the splashes and keep the bedding out of the water. That has helped and now I'm getting 3-4 days between bedding changes. My next attempt will be to train them to use water nipples. My chickens have had these same issues of making a mess with the gravity fed water.
Noise: When I'm near them tending to the mice and asf I can typically hear very soft gentle constant calling that you can only hear from about 10' away. Every so often maybe a couple times a day you can hear one really going off that you can hear on another floor and the other side of the house. Even when they do their loud calls it's a very nice and relaxing call. It's more of a whistle vs the screech of a parrot.
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