Breeds of quail that live inside

[cottontail farm]

Mine were still laying and in good health at 3 years old, then a rat got them.

This is great to know. Not about the rat of course but I did not think they loved that long - for some reason I thought 2 was "old". You must have taken excellent care of them.

 

[JaeG]

Is it possible to keep a 'bachelor pen' for cots, or will they kill each other?

They need a bit more space than the usual recommendations but boys can get along just fine in a bachelor pen.

 

[JaeG]

This is great to know. Not about the rat of course but I did not think they loved that long - for some reason I thought 2 was "old". You must have taken excellent care of them.

I do think it helps to give them a winter break. Otherwise they would burn out quicker.

 

[BantyChooks]

They need a bit more space than the usual recommendations but boys can get along just fine in a bachelor pen.

Thank you. What about buttons?

I'm debating between the two. I like the docility of cots (and I've had them before) but buttons are too cute.

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

What about buttons?

I'm debating between the two. I like the docility of cots (and I've had them before) but buttons are too cute.

I've been keeping buttons for a couple of years now. There are several issues with them to be aware of:

- They are territorial and will kill their own kind. You can only keep one pair together, any more and they will fight.

- Pairs may turn on each other and fight to the death. After a year I had to split my two pairs up because the males started trying to kill the females. One hen lost an eye and her scalp never grew back (bone is still exposed). I tried swapping the males to see if they'd pair up with the hens, one male tried to kill his new mate and with the other pair, the hen scalped the male. These introductions happened after I had kept them in split cages where they could see each other through a barrier.

- Buttons are much more flighty than Coturnix (which I also keep). If you keep them you have to put cloth or mesh between them and the cage top, otherwise they will scalp themselves on the cage top. Once I found one of my hens hanging by the neck from the top of the cage. She had slammed her head up between the bars. Luckily I found her in time and she's still alive.

- They're escape artists and will try to fly out whenever you open the cage or put your hand in. This is especially true if you have a cage with a top lid instead of a side door. They fly well and aren't easy to catch without using a net (I use a large fish tank net)

Good things:
- They come in a variety of colours and even the wild type colour is pretty. I have a silver male who's a beautiful cloudy grey with a dark grey head and a delicate pink shading on his underside.

- They don't require much space. A pair can be kept in a 10 gallon fish tank with a mesh top.

- Hens are good egg layers and will usually lay one egg per day. However, they aren't broody and they just leave their eggs lying on the bottom of the cage. It's best to always give them a calcium supplement. They will also peck at cuttlebone. Eggs are edible for both birds and humans. I boil them and give them back to the birds, mixed in with their greens.

- They're pretty clean, don't smell (I keep mine on shavings) and don't eat much. They love chopped greens, which I give them every day.

- They're relatively quiet, though they sometimes stretch up and "crow". Males inflate their air sacs and make a low pitched, long sound that sounds a bit like a tiny roar. Most male colours have a "chinstrap" mark, this inflates along with their air sacs.

- They are often kept in the bottom of aviaries and bird cages, where they clean up spilled seed. I now keep my four quails in larger cages with my other birds. You just have to put paper towel in the bottom of the cage for them to walk on, mesh near the top of the cage (depending on cage height) and food and water dispensers within their reach. I keep mine with zebra finches, budgies and diamond doves. All birds interact and eat and drink together. However, if you're breeding your birds and have fledglings in the cage, a button quail may be tempted to peck at them when they're on the bottom of the cage.

 

[BantyChooks]

I've been keeping buttons for a couple of years now. There are several issues with them to be aware of:

- They are territorial and will kill their own kind. You can only keep one pair together, any more and they will fight.

- Pairs may turn on each other and fight to the death. After a year I had to split my two pairs up because the males started trying to kill the females. One hen lost an eye and her scalp never grew back (bone is still exposed). I tried swapping the males to see if they'd pair up with the hens, one male tried to kill his new mate and with the other pair, the hen scalped the male. These introductions happened after I had kept them in split cages where they could see each other through a barrier.

- Buttons are much more flighty than Coturnix (which I also keep). If you keep them you have to put cloth or mesh between them and the cage top, otherwise they will scalp themselves on the cage top. Once I found one of my hens hanging by the neck from the top of the cage. She had slammed her head up between the bars. Luckily I found her in time and she's still alive.

- They're escape artists and will try to fly out whenever you open the cage or put your hand in. This is especially true if you have a cage with a top lid instead of a side door. They fly well and aren't easy to catch without using a net (I use a large fish tank net)

Good things:
- They come in a variety of colours and even the wild type colour is pretty. I have a silver male who's a beautiful cloudy grey with a dark grey head and a delicate pink shading on his underside.

- They don't require much space. A pair can be kept in a 10 gallon fish tank with a mesh top.

- Hens are good egg layers and will usually lay one egg per day. However, they aren't broody and they just leave their eggs lying on the bottom of the cage. It's best to always give them a calcium supplement. They will also peck at cuttlebone. Eggs are edible for both birds and humans. I boil them and give them back to the birds, mixed in with their greens.

- They're pretty clean, don't smell (I keep mine on shavings) and don't eat much. They love chopped greens, which I give them every day.

- They're relatively quiet, though they sometimes stretch up and "crow". Males inflate their air sacs and make a low pitched, long sound that sounds a bit like a tiny roar. Most male colours have a "chinstrap" mark, this inflates along with their air sacs.

- They are often kept in the bottom of aviaries and bird cages, where they clean up spilled seed. I now keep my four quails in larger cages with my other birds. You just have to put paper towel in the bottom of the cage for them to walk on, mesh near the top of the cage (depending on cage height) and food and water dispensers within their reach. I keep mine with zebra finches, budgies and diamond doves. All birds interact and eat and drink together. However, if you're breeding your birds and have fledglings in the cage, a button quail may be tempted to peck at them when they're on the bottom of the cage.

Thank you very much! That was quite helpful.

 

[Chicken-lovebirdchihuahua]

Thanks that was helpful for me to!

 

[JaeG]

Thank you. What about buttons?

I'm debating between the two. I like the docility of cots (and I've had them before) but buttons are too cute.

Buttons are definitely a bird you keep to look at because they are pretty, like a tank of fish. They do need more space than is usually recommended and need to be kept in pairs, or single sex groups. They will be noisier if in single sex groups calling for a mate. They sure are pretty though. My pair in the aviary are pretty docile but they still don't want to be touched. The male will peck at my feet. They do best if brought up with a lot of exposure to people, otherwise they can be nervous wrecks!

If you want to touch your birds, have them pleased to see you and catch them easily I'd stick with cots. I've got chicks of each at the moment and the cots are actually keeping the Buttons more relaxed (generally from about 4 days old baby Buttons are terrified of everything). I'll be interested to see if that continues.

 

[BantyChooks]

Buttons are definitely a bird you keep to look at because they are pretty, like a tank of fish. They do need more space than is usually recommended and need to be kept in pairs, or single sex groups. They will be noisier if in single sex groups calling for a mate. They sure are pretty though. My pair in the aviary are pretty docile but they still don't want to be touched. The male will peck at my feet. They do best if brought up with a lot of exposure to people, otherwise they can be nervous wrecks!

If you want to touch your birds, have them pleased to see you and catch them easily I'd stick with cots. I've got chicks of each at the moment and the cots are actually keeping the Buttons more relaxed (generally from about 4 days old baby Buttons are terrified of everything). I'll be interested to see if that continues.

Thanks. I do like tame birds so I think I'll try the cots again. My last two (both males) were kind of neurotic but they were purchased full-grown so I can't fault them too much for that. Do they have issues with boinking? My neighbours have cots and I never heard of them having issues/having to pad ceilings but I figured I'd ask to be careful.

 

[JaeG]

Thanks! I do like tame birds so I think I'll try the cots again. My last two (both males) were kind of neurotic but they were purchased full-grown so I can't fault them too much for that. Do they have issues with boinking? My neighbours have cots and I never heard of them having issues/having to pad ceilings but I figured I'd ask to be careful.

I've never had problems with it but mine grow up around chaos (two kids) so they can't be anxious birds. I've had them in foot tall cages and also just over 3ft without problems.