What breed of Quail is best at hatching it's own eggs?

Abdud1

Hatching
Dec 9, 2016
7
0
7
Hi, I am planing on breeding some birds in my back yard and Quail seemed like a interesting option but I've read that domesticated Quail are not the best at raising their chicks. Are there any breeds that are able to raise there chicks?
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I know button quail can incubate their own eggs, but they are too small to just keep outside I think. They're pets, not food or eggs. They're just too small.
 
Button quail can be kept outside as long as they are dry and out of the wind - and some can and will incubate their own eggs. But depending on their purpose, they might not suit your needs. Their live weight is around 40 grams. It would take a serious shitload of birds to make a meal. Their eggs are cute and tasty though, but also very small.
To the extend of my knowledge, buttons are the species that are most likely to brood their own young though - mine do it all the time, but some people have buttons for years and never have one go broody.
 
I will be doing it for the fun of keeping and breeding them, I used to breed cockatiels so buttons should be fine.
Thanks for the help!
 
My buttons/kings took a while to start brooding, and actually started eating their eggs, so I started taking them out. That caused them to start using the nestbox instead of the corner though, and I left them to see what happened and they had stopped eating the eggs, and eventually one of the quails I named Fluffy went broody and set on them. She was a little on-and-off at first, but got serious about it afterwards. To the point where she will beat up my hand with her wings if I get close to her box!
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As I found out when Speckles laid an egg and wasn't interested in it, so I went to try and sneak it under Fluffy, she did accept it though.

So even if your buttons don't seem interested in the eggs except for lunch, you just have to be patient with them and eventually they will become broody.
 
Also if anyone knows of any other birds that are similar to Quail that are easier to breed let me know
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You could try serama bantams? I dont have any but I hear they are small like quail and go broody all the time.

They are my next project in all likelihood. :)
 

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