Button Quail Chat

[blackoaktammy]

The biggest difference I'm seeing is pearls have much less striping on the back.

What makes me question my cock being pearl is that he has stripes not spots. And 3 weeks ago had more stripes that fell out... Not spots.

Yes, pearl hens have bars on their feathers instead of the stripes. Pearl males lose their bars when they get their adult plumage. Sometimes they keep some barring, but not usually. They always retain the white forehead. In one of your pictures I could see one feather with pearl barring, but it's likely he'll lose that too. I'll see if I can get a picture of one of my pearl males. I meant to do it last night, but things got hectic.

 

[blackoaktammy]

She is sitting tight as of this morning on 6 eggs. Male is standing guard and bringing her food.

View attachment 1949187

 

[mixedUPturk]

She is sitting tight as of this morning on 6 eggs. Male is standing guard and bringing her food.

View attachment 1949187

 

[Serin]

She didn't actually sit tight until today. She sat for a few hours Friday and Saturday morning. Today she was up to 8 eggs and brooded the whole day and stayed on to roost so I think now she has begun in earnest. The male just sits next to her. She has built a big nest of hay.

 

[blackoaktammy]

Here's one of my cinnamon pearls. He is the only aggressive button I've had or heard of. He follows me every time I pass his cage trying to get me, and attacks me when I reach in to feed and water. Because he's a bad boy, he lives in a bachelor colony so he doesn't pass off his bad genes. The only reason I haven't culled him is because he amuses me with his antics. He really thinks he's intimidating

 

[Serin]

Annie brooded 2 night and has apparently lost interest today. The day length may be too short to keep her hormones up high enough to brood or it may be inexperience. I put two under my brooding society finches Poppy and Apollo who were already sitting on plastic eggs and they've accepted them. I have low expectations but no harm in trying.

 

[blackoaktammy]

Annie brooded 2 night and has apparently lost interest today. The day length may be too short to keep her hormones up high enough to brood or it may be inexperience. I put two under my brooding society finches Poppy and Apollo who were already sitting on plastic eggs and they've accepted them. I have low expectations but no harm in trying.

View attachment 1952368

I'm so sorry! Buttons are a toss up, sometimes they will brood, sometimes not. And the same hen can act differently with different clutches. Do you have an incubator you can put the rest of the eggs in?

BTW - I think societies are great! My mother had one back in the 80s that would raise anything we put in it's cage, at any stage from egg to almost fledged.

 

[Serin]

I'm so sorry! Buttons are a toss up, sometimes they will brood, sometimes not. And the same hen can act differently with different clutches. Do you have an incubator you can put the rest of the eggs in?

BTW - I think societies are great! My mother had one back in the 80s that would raise anything we put in it's cage, at any stage from egg to almost fledged.

No incubator... I only have small cage birds that rear their young well so never needed but may get one now for buttons in the future.

I have 7 societies and they all brood but these are my oldest and most reliable pair. But I had to take their five grown kids out of the cage as otherwise they all try to incubate and knock the eggs around so none hatch. I could try setting up some others in a different cage to cover more quail eggs - each pair can only cover 2 - but don't have any more nests to put the eggs in.

 

[mixedUPturk]

I had 5 of 6 button eggs hatch on the first. My cockbird is wild type and my hen is silver. Hoping at least one of these yellow things is actually white not all 3 just silver. Still on the fence about keeping a second breeding pair though. Should probly get new blood if i do. Two cots in there with em.

 

[Serin]

I really want some cots too...