Bird-obsessed farmer is best friends with quails, dresses them in tiny hats

By Emma Dunn via SWNS

Meet the bird-obsessed farmer who is best friends with his exotic quails and loves to dress them up in tiny hats.

Bernard Henry, 28, has 52 themed bonnets for his Mearns quails – who he has named Finn, Quinn, Jake and Daisy.

He first started raising birds when he was 17 and now has 150 feathered friends - including peacocks, chickens, ducks, and button quails roaming around his farm.

But Bernard keeps his Mearns quails - which cost him $1,000 for four - close by and lets them have their own room in the house.

Bernard loves spending time with the pets and dresses Finn and Daisy up in cute headwear – such as a frog and jester hat.

Now the duo has a collection of 52 themed bonnets.

Bernard, a flower farmer, from New Milford, Conn., said: “I keep them close by.

“They love attention, they are like Golden Retrievers.

“They have their own room but like to hang out on my window in my room.

“I get woken up by bird song every morning."

“They are my best friends.

“I bought a random hat and tried it on Finn, and he loved it.

“The frog one is one of my favorites – it’s so cute.”

Bernard started raising chickens at age 17 and he now has seven species on the farm.

His Mearns quails are the latest addition to his pets, and he spends two hours a day socializing with them.

Bernard will chop up fruit, feed them sunflower seeds daily, and clean their enclosure every other day.

He said: “I love it.

“I used to be glued to my desk for medical school and miserable.”

Bernard spends hours a day with the birds and loves to try out different themed hats on Finn – such as a cap and beret.

He said: “He loves wearing the hats.

“I want to get him and Daisy a little tux and wedding gown after they mate.”

Bernard also has two dogs, two cats and seven goats on the farm and spends his days harvesting and planting flowers.

He gets up every morning to feed and let out the birds and animals so they can roam freely over an acre of land.

Bernard said: “We feed them sustainably and cut down on waste.

“I also cut the nails and file the beaks of the quails and do a health check once a week.”