We're looking after the ducks and chickens for one of our allotment friends while he's away for a long Christmas hols. We started last Friday, so exactly a week ago. I just received a text message from him to say, "Don't forget the quails, please, please"
Quails? WHAT QUAILS?? He used to keep quail in a separate shed, but I checked that on day 1, and it was empty. A few years ago we hatched a couple of dozen for him, but last time I saw them he'd run down the flock to 2 birds, so I assumed they'd died or been passed on to someone else.
So in the dark, we've both been down to the allotment armed with feed, fresh water, and torches. Checked the shed again. No sign. Every second we're expecting to discover a couple of pathetic bodies, starved to death by my neglect.
Eventually we find a rabbit hutch covered with a tarpaulin, in with the ducks, if you please, containing the two quail, who have fortunately survived. They did in fact have plenty of food, but the state of their drinking water after a week can only be imagined.
Anyway, we left them with fresh food and plenty of lovely clean water.
But I'm mightily unimpressed that he didn't think to mention them until now.
