Broody Chinese Painted/Button Quail w/ chicks

[eveliens]

tl;dr is it OK to leave 4 week old quail chicks with their parents if the parents are preparing to sit on the next clutch of eggs? How long will the parents tolerate the first batch of chicks in their space?

I kind of poked around on Google but didn't really see an answer since "buttons don't go broody" is the general experience.

I have a hen/roo pair that raised up 3 chicks to 4 weeks of age. Hen has started laying a new batch (she's up to 6 eggs) and has more or less stopped caring for the chicks. The roo has taken over on protection duty but they're fully feathered out and self-sufficient at this point.

I'd prefer to leave them in there until I sell them if possible, mostly because I have older buttons and coturnix already stuffing my outdoor nursery pen. I'm growing out some of the coturnix for breeding sets, so the pen won't be empty for a few more weeks.

I don't sell the excess button offspring until they are more or less sexable & ready to live outside safely alone - is that too long to leave them in with the parents? Will the roo start beating on the male chicks? I'm assuming the chicks won't bother the hen once she starts sitting, which might be soon or might be in 2 weeks LOL Last clutch she laid 27 eggs (I let her sit on 10). I wasn't expecting my hens to go broody or to have a successful hatch from one of them (the other abandoned her clutch halfway and is trying again).

 

[nchls school]

Buttons do brood and raise chicks. Most people don't bother with this as it's easier to just use an incubator. I've had the best luck with them when the hen is alone to brood and rear her chicks. The hens don't seem to tolerate interference from other buttons very well. While some button roos are good fathers, many are not and drive the hens off their nests making brooding impossible. Button and coturnix chicks are not cared for long by the hen; just 10-14 days. Yes, my coturnix brood also. Buttons mature quickly, so it is very likely the father will soon be trying to drive his sons away. I have five button quail in an aquarium sitting next to me that are five weeks and two days old, completely feathered in their adult plumage. It will not be long before the hens start to lay eggs. At four weeks, yours do not need a parent looking after them.

 

[eveliens]

Buttons do brood and raise chicks. Most people don't bother with this as it's easier to just use an incubator. I've had the best luck with them when the hen is alone to brood and rear her chicks. The hens don't seem to tolerate interference from other buttons very well. While some button roos are good fathers, many are not and drive the hens off their nests making brooding impossible. Button and coturnix chicks are not cared for long by the hen; just 10-14 days. Yes, my coturnix brood also. Buttons mature quickly, so it is very likely the father will soon be trying to drive his sons away. I have five button quail in an aquarium sitting next to me that are five weeks and two days old, completely feathered in their adult plumage. It will not be long before the hens start to lay eggs. At four weeks, yours do not need a parent looking after them.

There's a whole back story about the buttons but I actually didn't get them to breed. I know they can raise chicks depending on the circumstances; it just seems like people online think they can't/won't do it so that's the only information I can find on it.

The main issue for me is space - I have nowhere to put them that isn't already full of birds or soon to be full of birds haha. Including older buttons from previous batches that would definitely pick on the smaller guys. I'll leave them in and see how long dad tolerates them or if I free up some space in the other pens. Thanks for responding!

 

[Nabiki]

It really depends on their personality. Keep an eye on them. They might be okay with the new chicks, but you need to be prepared to separate them.

 

[eveliens]

It really depends on their personality. Keep an eye on them. They might be okay with the new chicks, but you need to be prepared to separate them.

The older chicks will definitely be removed before the new chicks are due to hatch. They should be sexable by then and off to new homes I might just have to rig up a small pen for all the excess buttons I wasn't expecting.

 

[eveliens]

Well, the good news is I sold half my coturnix today, so the pen has space for a few more buttons. I'll move the older chicks when the parents stop tolerating them

 

[nchls school]

There's a whole back story about the buttons but I actually didn't get them to breed. I know they can raise chicks depending on the circumstances; it just seems like people online think they can't/won't do it so that's the only information I can find on it.

The main issue for me is space - I have nowhere to put them that isn't already full of birds or soon to be full of birds haha. Including older buttons from previous batches that would definitely pick on the smaller guys. I'll leave them in and see how long dad tolerates them or if I free up some space in the other pens. Thanks for responding!

I'm a retired science teacher. I used to raise buttons in my very active classroom. Once a hen has brooded, a lot of space wasn't needed. They'd go broody living in a ten gallon aquarium.
I think you mentioned a hen that abandoned her nest part way through; likely because of the rooster. I have not had buttons in many years. The five I have now are from eggs given to me and hatched in my incubator. They grew up with a pop can serama bantam as a surrogate mother. I'm looking forward to raising them "naturally".

 

[nchls school]

Well, the good news is I sold half my coturnix today, so the pen has space for a few more buttons. I'll move the older chicks when the parents stop tolerating them

I've just one pair of coturnix. All winter she laid and tried to brood (frozen eggs won't hatch-HA). Now the weather is warmer and the silly bird starts a nest then starts another, and another... I have a few of her eggs under another serama bantam. Should hatch next week sometime. The picture is from a couple years ago.

 

[eveliens]

I'm a retired science teacher. I used to raise buttons in my very active classroom. Once a hen has brooded, a lot of space wasn't needed. They'd go broody living in a ten gallon aquarium.
I think you mentioned a hen that abandoned her nest part way through; likely because of the rooster. I have not had buttons in many years. The five I have now are from eggs given to me and hatched in my incubator. They grew up with a pop can serama bantam as a surrogate mother. I'm looking forward to raising them "naturally".

I have 2 pairs outside in 40x40 inch pens with live plants.

The golden pearl hen successfully hatched the eggs and is now sitting on her 2nd clutch (8 eggs this time). I was watching the older chicks and they were basically sitting with her this afternoon. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 are definitely male, so I think dad's going to kick them out soon.

The white hen is older, so she started laying later/slower. She brooded about 10 days through until there was a huge, unusual storm that knocked the roof askew and flooded her nest. I candled the abandoned eggs and most of them had been developing. Unfortunately, the incubator was crammed with 50 gambel's quail eggs, which were also abandoned by their mothers during the storm, so I composted them. The white hen switched locations to a better choice (they don't seem too bright about their first couple nest choices) and is on day 4 or 5 of brooding on her second clutch.

I actually used to keep them years ago inside in an aquarium but they were kept in a group so they never really went broody! I'd imagine a 10 would be fine for a single hen to raise chicks for sure.

I've just one pair of coturnix. All winter she laid and tried to brood (frozen eggs won't hatch-HA). Now the weather is warmer and the silly bird starts a nest then starts another, and another... I have a few of her eggs under another serama bantam. Should hatch next week sometime. The picture is from a couple years ago.
View attachment 3097293

How well do the serama hens do at brooding quail eggs? I have a Japanese bantam that lives to be broody and raise chicks (she tried to steal the coturnix chicks but they're much too old at this point for that as they were brooded inside for 3 weeks) but I think she's too fat/heavy to sit on such small eggs. I was considering getting a serama, d'anver or old english game bantam to do the job instead. Personally not a fan of incubating/brooding them myself! But quail hens seem less dependable than chickens so it seemed like a potential option.

 

[nchls school]

I have 2 pairs outside in 40x40 inch pens with live plants.

The golden pearl hen successfully hatched the eggs and is now sitting on her 2nd clutch (8 eggs this time). I was watching the older chicks and they were basically sitting with her this afternoon. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 are definitely male, so I think dad's going to kick them out soon.

The white hen is older, so she started laying later/slower. She brooded about 10 days through until there was a huge, unusual storm that knocked the roof askew and flooded her nest.

I'm having that happen quite a bit this year with all the birds. We have been having a load of severe storms, heavy rain, and flooding.

I candled the abandoned eggs and most of them had been developing. Unfortunately, the incubator was crammed with 50 gambel's quail eggs, which were also abandoned by their mothers during the storm, so I composted them. The white hen switched locations to a better choice (they don't seem too bright about their first couple nest choices) and is on day 4 or 5 of brooding on her second clutch.

I actually used to keep them years ago inside in an aquarium but they were kept in a group so they never really went broody! I'd imagine a 10 would be fine for a single hen to raise chicks for sure.


How well do the serama hens do at brooding quail eggs?

Very well. Since the eggs are so different I put a couple white eggs in with them the first time to encourage brooding; which works well. After raising them once the hens accept the odd eggs readily.

I have a Japanese bantam that lives to be broody and raise chicks (she tried to steal the coturnix chicks but they're much too old at this point for that as they were brooded inside for 3 weeks) but I think she's too fat/heavy to sit on such small eggs.

You are correct. It would not work. Either the eggs or the chicks would be crushed.

I was considering getting a serama,

Serama are best as they are smaller. I've a few now that are not much bigger than the quail.

d'anver or old english game bantam to do the job instead. Personally not a fan of incubating/brooding them myself! But quail hens seem less dependable than chickens so it seemed like a potential option.