Button Quail Chat

[Quailobsessed]

I've had three chicks hatch this week. Two were hatched the other day by their parents, but they were rejected straight away. Those parents are notoriously bad at raising chicks. One other chick hatched yesterday from another pair who are first-time parents. I found that chick last night in the cold, not under it's parents. I now have the three chicks together in a brooder.

The mutations look to be a cinnamon (probably pearl), a white-winged pied, and a golden pearl. I am getting so many pearls!

 

[Nabiki]

My eggs go into lockdown tomorrow morning.

 

[DK newbie]

Otherwise i had a pretty bad run of luck with the buttons last month. The first hard freeze and they were too young apparently they went thru two light ones no worse for wear and this one only lasted about 12 hours but i lost 4 of the 5 young birds. Then my silver hen came up egg bound and passed. So now all i have are the white hen and her father.

I'm so sorry you lost your birds! I'd like to learn something from your experience though, since I've had buttons outside during winter with no trouble - how old were the birds and how hard did it freeze? Perhaps you can take a picture of their enclosure or describe it as well, since the enclosure could have a lot to do with the kind of temperatures they can handle.

 

[mixedUPturk]

I'm so sorry you lost your birds! I'd like to learn something from your experience though, since I've had buttons outside during winter with no trouble - how old were the birds and how hard did it freeze? Perhaps you can take a picture of their enclosure or describe it as well, since the enclosure could have a lot to do with the kind of temperatures they can handle.

Hey Dk! Thank you, they mustve been 10 -12 wks old. Kept in a 40 gal aquarium on the roofed back porch, fully dry and draft free. It went down to about 28 at the lowest and only lasted about 4 hours until it got up a little bit was about 12 hours until it got above 32 again. Had been a chilly day(as in not getting about 70) but cant remember the high. There were on mostly clean pine shavings for bedding, no tipped waterer. Im convinced they were just too young for a hard freeze.

 

[DK newbie]

Wow.. 28 is not even that bad. I wouldn't have guessed that could be an issue at all. And 10-12 weeks really should be mature as far as I can tell - when holding a 10 week button I don't feel it's skinny, thin feathered or different from an adult in any way.
I'm sure I've had adults outside in 14 F for days or even weeks.. Though not in an aquarium, mine live in aviaries. One aviary was inside a barn but still got pretty darn cold, the other one is in a corner of a garden, leaning against a wall, covered by a roof, it's approximately 27 sqft and only the door is completely open to the elements. Have a pair that's lived there for at least 3 years.
Can't believe yours died from 28 F, but thank you for sharing the details!

 

[mixedUPturk]

Wow.. 28 is not even that bad. I wouldn't have guessed that could be an issue at all. And 10-12 weeks really should be mature as far as I can tell - when holding a 10 week button I don't feel it's skinny, thin feathered or different from an adult in any way.
I'm sure I've had adults outside in 14 F for days or even weeks.. Though not in an aquarium, mine live in aviaries. One aviary was inside a barn but still got pretty darn cold, the other one is in a corner of a garden, leaning against a wall, covered by a roof, it's approximately 27 sqft and only the door is completely open to the elements. Have a pair that's lived there for at least 3 years.
Can't believe yours died from 28 F, but thank you for sharing the details!

Your welcome. I cant believe your temps, like-- that would kill Me i def learned a lesson and it wont happen again

 

[Serin]

Peep's new name is Sweetpea. She is a confirmed girl now and is 3 weeks old today. All her brothers had red vents and white beards by now.

She is now living in a partitioned cage with her brother Bean, the smallest of the three adult chicks. A wire wall separates them... Not because Bean is aggressive, but Sweetpea! She goes after him and pulls feathers! I'm hoping she can learn some quail behavior now and they can move in together in the future so everyone has a partner. Bean's two brothers bonded and left him the third wheel.

Sweetpea is still very loving and tame.

 

[Nabiki]

I have a pip! There are probably more, but I didn't want to mess with them too much and I can't see into the incubator very well.

 

[Quailobsessed]

I have a pip! There are probably more, but I didn't want to mess with them too much and I can't see into the incubator very well.
View attachment 2006718

 

[Nabiki]

My very first Button Quail.