Brand new to quails

[moana]

Hi my name is Susanna and im from New Zealand. I have 3 quail, two female (one white/silver and the other brown) and one male (brown, blue and red). I have had them since the end of October but we havent seen any eggs from either girl. We are a bit worried that we might be doing something wrong in how we are careing for them. They are in a cage in our room and have a house that they can hid in. We feed them finch seed and clean water each day but i dont know what else we can do for them. Can anyone please help me?

 

[WisconsinAnimalHouse]

Are you talking button quails? I hope so if they are in the house!

They need to be getting some game bird crumbles, about 20% protein and some finch seed is ok to add to it. My quails didn't start laying for a few months after I brought them home, they just probably need some time to get used to their new surroundings. Hope this helps.

 

[moana]

This helps a lot thank you. Im pretty sure that they are button quail

Hmm, didnt know about birdgame feed. I wondered if they were getting frightned everytime we walked in the room, but we tried putting them some where quieter but that didnt work either. Okay, might wait a couple of months and see how it goes from there. Im guessing that you have button quail as well? Do you let them roam inside?

 

[thekid]

Quote:
Post some pics of the birds and we can tell you if they are button or coturnix

Im thinking Coturnix

 

[Stellar]

Button quail are monogamous and should be housed in pairs vs trios.

 

[WisconsinAnimalHouse]

Yes, I have two hens that I got this summer hoping to be able to handle them, but these ones are really flighty! So I don't let them run around outside their cage (they share one with my finches) as they are pretty quick and not too easy to catch. My girls have been getting leftover chicken layer feed at the moment, and have been doing well with it. I usually get an egg a day that I save in the fridge to eat later. Wish I could tell which hen is laying though. I get my feed at the Farm and Fleet, and it's not expensive and will last you forever with only a few quails. I hope to be getting a few more at the next local bird fair, they are addicting!!

 

[WisconsinAnimalHouse]

I'm just beginning with quails, so I don't know what a Coturnix quail is. Looked up a pic, and they look like buttons except bigger?

 

[The Critter Place]

Quote:
Post some pics of the birds and we can tell you if they are button or coturnix

Im thinking Coturnix

I doubt they are Coturnix... I've never seen a Brown, Blue, Red Coturnix...
Sounds like Button to me. and I wouldn't let them roam free. They're flighty nature and tiny size is an invite for injury.

There's some great info at the top of this forum in the Stickies on Button Quail,

 

[The Critter Place]

Button Quail are tiny compared to a Coturnix... They are actually the smallest Quail in the world.
Here's a pic of 2 of mine side by side...
The Button on the right, Jumbo BRown Coturnix on the left.

Button are nervous by nature and do not take to being handled well. They are an ornamental bird , just for the watching.
As Quaillady stated, best kept in pairs. If your keeping them in a trio, they may be unhappy and that's why not laying eggs.

Coturnix ae a meat and egg quail, but also docile and make good pets. I have 8 that are the biggest goofballs you ever did see, and I can reach in and pet them at any given time.

 

[thekid]

Quote:
Post some pics of the birds and we can tell you if they are button or coturnix

Im thinking Coturnix

I doubt they are Coturnix... I've never seen a Brown, Blue, Red Coturnix...
Sounds like Button to me. and I wouldn't let them roam free. They're flighty nature and tiny size is an invite for injury.

There's some great info at the top of this forum in the Stickies on Button Quail,

Over in New Zeland they have different colors than we do. We have white coturnix they have white coturnix, they have silver coturnix we do not, they have brown we also have brown, and there are red quail but those are in labatories from what I have heard. A member who only had a couple of post, well me and him have emailed each other a couple of time and his friend over in Germany actually works in a lab with black coturnix, blue, silve and a bunch of different colors.