#ffs just because quail weren't commonly kept outside of japan and china until the mid-19ths century

[sassyhazelowl]

Facebook group post P1: what did people feed quail before purina was a thing? P2: they didn't! quail are wild animals and they didn't keep them Me: did anyone inform 11th Century China they weren't supposed to keep and breed quail? Or 12th Century Japan, who bred and competed them as song birds with benefits. What about the ancient Egyptians... and not sure what bird they were eating the Bible - better double check that quail are kosher. Also those pesky Victorians, can't keep their paws off keeping and breeding every single animal known to man.

#ffs just because quail weren't commonly kept outside of japan and china until the mid-19ths century #doesn't mean no one else was keeping them #like not to be that person but coturnix coturnix is literally called PHAROAH quail and JAPANESE quail #honestly I suspect europeans weren't keeping them because they had pigeons which are more or less quail that fly LOL #or quail are pigeons that don't fly #anyway they fill the same niche along with bantam chickens #which were more popular in the new world than either pigeons or quail #until cities started systemically banning them #after the world war 2? I believe it was 2 #I suspect the reason quail are becoming popular in the US right now is people are trying to skirt those restrictions #because they're realizing they want some control over their food supply #its like domestic rats #people don't seem to realize rats were kept in Japan before the Victorians started breeding them as pets/novelties #very few common place animals of today weren't kept in the past by various cultures #there are several species of domestic finch that come from SE Asia and straight up don't exist in the wild #see also mule canaries ie. hybrids between canaries and goldfinches