Button quail ID

[isegal]

Most likely. Do you have a recent pic?

Zoomed in photos

 

[Nabiki]

Yeah, that's a male.

 

[isegal]

Yeah, that's a male.

So I have three males and two females. What should I do? Their run in is absolutely ginormous like 6 square feet per quail. I'm thinking I should buy like 2 or 3 more females and add them in to balance things out

 

[Nabiki]

So I have three males and two females. What should I do? Their run in is absolutely ginormous like 6 square feet per quail. I'm thinking I should buy like 2 or 3 more females and add them in to balance things out

Button quail do best in pairs, but with that much space the odd one out won't be a problem. It's coturnix quail that need about 5 females to 1 male. Buttons are not as aggressive as coturnix.

 

[isegal]

Button quail do best in pairs, but with that much space the odd one out won't be a problem. It's coturnix quail that need about 5 females to 1 male. Buttons are not as aggressive as coturnix.

Wdym? Currently there are 3 males and 2 females. But once there are more females will the males pair up with a female and mate just with them so there would be like 1 or 2 females who's eggs just aren't fertilized

 

[Nabiki]

Wdym? Currently there are 3 males and 2 females. But once there are more females will the males pair up with a female and mate just with them so there would be like 1 or 2 females who's eggs just aren't fertilized

The males won't necessarily mate with just one female (so your thought about having females with always infertile eggs isn't quite right), but for harmony's sake, they do best with an equal number of males and females. If the ratio is off, you may get a jealous bird or two who may squabble and it might get bloody.

The more space you have, the less likely that is to happen, but if you can, you should still try to keep your male to female ratio about right. With coturnix quail, if you don't have enough females for a male, he will over breed the girl(s) causing injury and sometimes death.

 

[isegal]

The males won't necessarily mate with just one female (so your thought about having females with always infertile eggs isn't quite right), but for harmony's sake, they do best with an equal number of males and females. If the ratio is off, you may get a jealous bird or two who may squabble and it might get bloody.

The more space you have, the less likely that is to happen, but if you can, you should still try to keep your male to female ratio about right. With coturnix quail, if you don't have enough females for a male, he will over breed the girl(s) causing injury and sometimes death.

So your recommending 3:3 but right now it's 3:2 for males and I want to buy more females and the minimum you can buy is 3 I think so would 3:5 be okay, or would some eggs be infertile

 

[Nabiki]

With enough space, 3:5 may work out, but be sure to watch them just in case. Some eggs will probably be infertile, but it may not be consistently a single hen. You'll know after they've been in the incubator for a few days.

 

[isegal]

With enough space, 3:5 may work out, but be sure to watch them just in case. Some eggs will probably be infertile, but it may not be consistently a single hen. You'll know after they've been in the incubator for a few days.

Would killing the embryo after a few days of incubation be inhumane in your opinion?