Am I giving the correct advice?

[mrslb333]

Hiya, I have a few breeding pens of quail, Coturnix and Button. I hatch the eggs to order. I've recently been contacted by a lady who wants some quail ( no specific breed mentioned ) and she asked my advice on what would be the best thing to start with.
She wanted to a breed that would be friendly and also advice on how many, best age to buy, housing etc.
The advice I gave was that she would probably be best with Coturnix as these are the friendliest, 5 females per 1 male to be collected once I can sex them accurately.
She has got back in contact with me today saying she wasn't sure they had enough space for 6 so would prefer 4 and also that she would like Buttons as day olds so they can imprint and be really friendly.
I've explained that Buttons are not the best choice if she wants to hold them as even when I've had just one or two chicks handled on a regular basis they still end up really flighty and the best way to keep Buttons is in pairs male and female,and I wouldn't be able to give accurate sexing on them as day olds. But shes adamant her friend has some that they let out in the garden in summer and they are really tame and friendly.
I'm fairly sure there's not some taming trick I'm missing with the Buttons so I think she's got her breeds mixed up?
Anyone got any suggestions I feel like I'm going round in circles

 

[La Mike]

Check shelleyd2008 she should know or quailbrain

 

[Robo]

Sounds like you told her right, coturnix is the way to go...

 

[JJMR794]

Your Advice Is Sounds All The Way. Maybe You Could Have Her Come Over To Identify The Specific Breed She's After? That Would Clear Up Any Mixed Up Breeds In Her Mind.

 

[Stellar]

who is quailbrain?

 

[kahlertm]

Pictures help. I am the current same sort of "wart on quaillady's butt" right now like that too!!

More than that, it helped me to learn that the really pretty/colorful tiny little quail can actually feel pain when being touched, as they are so sensitive in their feathers or quills ( I read that in McDonald's "Closer Look"). So it is documented, been researched by McDonald. They don't dig touch. They are super sensitive to vibration as a survival skill being so low to the ground, so they "feel" more intensly and being tiny....well that hurts.

The pain thing really stopped me in my tracks of wanting to tame something down or desensitize it to being handled.
We human/ primates want to grab and handle these things, that have an instinct that we will eat them. We will. It is a real problem with my clients with dogs and cats too, to redirect their natural primate way of handling a dog or cat, and to get them to understand how the cat or dog view it as offensive or even a threat. You see alot of the tiny breeds of dog become aggressive because they are handled too much or just a bit to rough = injury and pain= afraid/aggressive to humans...Hence the nick name "pocket sharks" ..but I digress...sort of.


Anyhow, I really am focusing on the Coturnix because they do seem to be able to handle a 5yr old better than any of the others. They come in "pretty" too.

Tell her that if she looks at all the "tame" videos on utube...anything being video taped there is a Coturnix. The Buttons just can't deal. Not in the hardware or OUCH!

And I am a newbie at quail...

Tonya

 

[kahlertm]

Quaillady, if you're being referred to as quailbrain I would take it as a compliment. You are pretty brainy you know.

That is what I meant about being the "wart"...I ask Quaillady about everything under the darned sun.

And now you guys have to suffer me too!
Tonya

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
quailbrain used to be Charlene, I think she is feathered obsessions now?

 

[shelleyd2008]

I would strongly recommend coturnix, even with young buttons, handling doesn't really tame them down. Usually it stresses them out severely; they'd probably die from all the 'attention'.

 

[joe125]

Quote:
I agree 100%. It's hard to really figure out what species of quail anyone wants to raise when they just say "QUAIL".

The best way to tame a coturnix is to put them in a pretty high traffic area where they see the feed monster constantly, but they are not being grabbed, picked up or being loved or squeezed to much.
I wouldn't want a creature that out weighs me by 1000% just picking me up and loving/squeezing on me either! If you want a lap pet, get a little dog or cat.