Thursday, January 10, 2013

Retro Kansas


This is Fred!

When we were teenagers my brother and I got an urge to raise "Wisconsin Jumbo" Bobwhite quail and become rich, so we did!   We bought an incubator for the eggs, built cages and bought a few quail as breeders.  After a few years we got bored with it when we didn't get wealthy, and Fred is one of the last quail that was hatched.  He lived in our house in a cage in the bathroom, though we let him out all the time.  We'd even take him outside, and he'd run around and do all the things quail usually do. For some odd reason he was scared of other birds, even sparrows, and if another bird caught his attention he'd duck down in an attempt to blend in with the ground.   If we went back into the house he'd run like mad for the door because he was afraid of being alone outside.

As I got older, he became a pain because he'd start screeching when he heard the key in the lock when I got home later than I was allowed.  My folks would hear him, and I'd be busted.  He lived for 8 years, and remained friendly his entire life (unlike Farrah!)  

And no, I have no idea why we named him Fred.  Because we were kids?   Most likely!