Yesterday, one of my female quail (Hattie) decided she wants to be a mother. She’s sitting on about ten eggs that she and the other females laid in the nest box. She’s so cute and calm. She doesn’t act all snarly and drugged-out like my broody chicken. When I open the top of the nest box and peek in at her, she just looks sweetly up at me.
I think she is keeping the other females away though – they have started to lay outside in the run. She does allow visits from the male, Peabody – he goes in regularly to check up on her.
I hope she keeps sitting for the full 18 days, I hope the eggs are fertile, and I hope the chicks are mostly all females if they hatch! I’d love to be able to give the boys in the bachelor pad some girls of their own. I feel kind of sorry for them. They keep calling and calling, but no ladies come to visit.
And while I’m hoping, here’s a wish for more summer weather. I have a couple of mini watermelons (they are only about 3lbs when grown) that I’d like to see ripen.
Oh, and I don’t have a picture, but the rabbits had their surgery last week and came through with flying colors. There will be no surprise baby bunnies in my hutch! This is the first time I’ve ever had a rabbit neutered, and it was a lot easier than with dogs or cats. The rabbits didn’t even seem to notice their injuries. My last dog, Jacks, was completely traumatized by her surgery; it was months before she was mostly over it.
Out of Eden 