Swap around

All of the quail are out of the house, and in the side passage now, and the guinea pig is in the side passage too for the winter.
The 2 adults are in a hutch on their own, the guinea pig is in a hutch on top of theirs, the chicks (3 hens and 1 cockerel) are in their own hutch, and the remaining 3 chick cockerels are on their own in the brooder in the garage so that they can't see/hear the girls and fight.

Adult hen

Chick Hen

Chicks' House

Guinea Pig

Vets

I've booked on the Vetquest 1 day conference at Bristol University, in March 2009, and had a letter through the post today confirming my place :D


I had a letter through the post today saying that planning permission for another vets around the corner from me has been approved! It's at a craft centre, and there is an animal feed shop there.
So there are now 2 brand new vets opening, within a few miles of each other.

Vets

I've just been for an interview at a Vets around the corner from me, and I start next Spring :D
They just asked about my work experience, am I confident with horses (they had 3 heavies, 2 horses and 3 ponies at the last farm I worked at), and then about some of the other things I do, like mentoring.
I was shown around the practise and then they said I can join the team.

It is a brand new practice, which is still being built, and they are opening next spring time. It will be a general practice, with an Artificial Insemination place for horses.
It should be good fun, and they seem like really nice people!
They have found a vet nurse, and are looking for a graduate vet, so we should all start around the same time, and can get to know each other, and no-one will be new.

It's good to watch the practise be built, and then be there when it opens.

Eggs

We've had 8 eggs so far from the adult quail, and I think the male has gone for good :(
The adults have been in the run in the garden with the quinea pig today, but it's too cold for them to live outside.

The chicks are doing fine, and I don't know why the little one died.

RIP Little Quail

The smallest chick out of the 8 has died.
I don't know why, as it has survived for 4 weeks.

RIP Little Quail

The male hasn't come back so we are down to 9.

New Vets Practice

A planning application was approved around the corner from us a few months ago, and I walked round with my friend yesterday to have a look. As we walked up, the man pulled up in his van and spoke to me and said to go back today.

I dropped a letter round today and he phoned me back and arranged for me to go back in 2 weeks for a chat-like-interview and to see about me getting some work experience with them. The surgery has a stable block attached and is being built at the moment to be opened next year.

Male

Still can't see him, the girls are out in the run, so they might make enough noise to bring him back.

Lost

I was putting the adults away for the night and the male just jumped up and flew over the fence. We asked the neighbours to look, but we couldn't see him anywhere :(

I've left the hutch and run open for the night and the girls are inside, hoping he will find his way back.

Egg!

One of the adult quail has started laying!

There was a little egg in the cage tonight when we got home.

:D