Button quail questions

[missred871]

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Not trying to be rude or anything, but they breed in pairs in the wild. 1:1 ratios are actually the best for them.

Actually, they do not pair up in the wild, they are wanderers. They do not act as the house sparrows and such that breed for life. If a rooster finds a hen in the wild he will mate her, if two find her they fight over her. At any rate in the wild the females can escape from the monotony where as in a cage the females tend to get a lot of feathers pulled out. They end up bald and damaged. The 1-4 ratio insures good fertilization as well as good health. It is never suggested in chickens or gamebirds to use a 1:1 ever. Not only do I say this from my experience but also from my grandfathers life long experience and also my several hundred man hours of research

 

[missred871]

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please let me know where you get your information from because I would like to read it. (I am being sincere.) I have never heard of the buttons being monogamous in the wild but wanderers. I have found nothing of the sorts in any research online or otherwise. I must be missing something at any rate, in my experience with the buttons if you are going to keep a large number in one cage/pen the best way to solve injury is keeping atleast a 1:3 ratio. I had about a 1:2 ratio previously and the roosters were attacking not only each other but the hens. When I culled the roosters down to 2 roos:9 hens all had been peaceful with no problems getting fertilized eggs. They also seem much happier now than previously at the one to one ratio. This is my experience and I mean no disresect to anyone else who has done their own research. If you recieved your information online please let me know where so that I too can reinform myself.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
Not trying to be rude or anything, but they breed in pairs in the wild. 1:1 ratios are actually the best for them.

Actually, they do not pair up in the wild, they are wanderers. They do not act as the house sparrows and such that breed for life. If a rooster finds a hen in the wild he will mate her, if two find her they fight over her. At any rate in the wild the females can escape from the monotony where as in a cage the females tend to get a lot of feathers pulled out. They end up bald and damaged. The 1-4 ratio insures good fertilization as well as good health. It is never suggested in chickens or gamebirds to use a 1:1 ever. Not only do I say this from my experience but also from my grandfathers life long experience and also my several hundred man hours of research

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps017

scroll down to breeding systems I have read this in more then one place / source I tried trios ( 2:1) with my Bobs pairs work better with a few of them ( 1:1 ) trios work good for most of them.. Buttons I am ignorant about .

 

[Sushi]

Quote:
please let me know where you get your information from because I would like to read it. (I am being sincere.) I have never heard of the buttons being monogamous in the wild but wanderers. I have found nothing of the sorts in any research online or otherwise. I must be missing something at any rate, in my experience with the buttons if you are going to keep a large number in one cage/pen the best way to solve injury is keeping atleast a 1:3 ratio. I had about a 1:2 ratio previously and the roosters were attacking not only each other but the hens. When I culled the roosters down to 2 roos:9 hens all had been peaceful with no problems getting fertilized eggs. They also seem much happier now than previously at the one to one ratio. This is my experience and I mean no disresect to anyone else who has done their own research. If you recieved your information online please let me know where so that I too can reinform myself.

It's possible that it wasnt the ratio of male & females in the pen, but the ratio of the total number of birds in the pen to the area of the pen.

 

[missred871]

Quote:
please let me know where you get your information from because I would like to read it. (I am being sincere.) I have never heard of the buttons being monogamous in the wild but wanderers. I have found nothing of the sorts in any research online or otherwise. I must be missing something at any rate, in my experience with the buttons if you are going to keep a large number in one cage/pen the best way to solve injury is keeping atleast a 1:3 ratio. I had about a 1:2 ratio previously and the roosters were attacking not only each other but the hens. When I culled the roosters down to 2 roos:9 hens all had been peaceful with no problems getting fertilized eggs. They also seem much happier now than previously at the one to one ratio. This is my experience and I mean no disresect to anyone else who has done their own research. If you recieved your information online please let me know where so that I too can reinform myself.

It's possible that it wasnt the ratio of male & females in the pen, but the ratio of the total number of birds in the pen to the area of the pen.

Yeah I am thinking that was well. After what I read as a response to my answer to the initial question I wanted to find out if I was misinformed initially and did several button exclusive hours of research and the only places I have seen anything about keeping in trios or pairs is the birds that are being kept seperated. Like one pair per cage or what have you. As I said last night, in my experience the chinese buttons work better (if kept in a large group) with less males and more females.

 

[shelleyd2008]

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[shelleyd2008]

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It's possible that it wasnt the ratio of male & females in the pen, but the ratio of the total number of birds in the pen to the area of the pen.

Yeah I am thinking that was well. After what I read as a response to my answer to the initial question I wanted to find out if I was misinformed initially and did several button exclusive hours of research and the only places I have seen anything about keeping in trios or pairs is the birds that are being kept seperated. Like one pair per cage or what have you. As I said last night, in my experience the chinese buttons work better (if kept in a large group) with less males and more females.

Most people that have buttons do keep 1 pair in a pen by themselves. I have an overabundance of males, and mine are in group pens. The females are a bit 'worn', but there isn't any fighting. All mine were hatched and raised together though, which I find does make a difference. I couldn't put birds from one pen together with birds from another pen, then I'm sure they would fight.

 

[missred871]

Quote:
Yeah I am thinking that was well. After what I read as a response to my answer to the initial question I wanted to find out if I was misinformed initially and did several button exclusive hours of research and the only places I have seen anything about keeping in trios or pairs is the birds that are being kept seperated. Like one pair per cage or what have you. As I said last night, in my experience the chinese buttons work better (if kept in a large group) with less males and more females.

Most people that have buttons do keep 1 pair in a pen by themselves. I have an overabundance of males, and mine are in group pens. The females are a bit 'worn', but there isn't any fighting. All mine were hatched and raised together though, which I find does make a difference. I couldn't put birds from one pen together with birds from another pen, then I'm sure they would fight.

Well, mine were hatched together as well, the problem is the breeder I got them from had about 60 birds crowded into a 10 gal DISGUSTING aquarium and I felt so bad for the little guys I rescued them. They were about 2-3 weeks old when I got them. In those conditions I am amazed they are all so wonderful and nothing at all was wrong with them. As I did not see a waterer or food bowl in the tank though there may have been a waterer. Anywho, like I said I can see how a pair would work but I have 11 birds in my group and they get along great. I saw one male "service" 4 females in a row today lol. I have a 2:9 ratio and no lack of fertile or happy birds. SO thats just me .....I can only give my experience and opinion. I have read a lot of places about different types of the buttons and the chinese are said to be found singular, paired and in groups in the wild. Though there was also a lot of other places that said so many different things It is hard to know what to believe but I know what works for me so thats my two cents and thanks for any info that was given to fill in the blanks

 

[Bettacreek]

Missred are you sure that you were researching the proper species? Coturnix chinensis, not any of the Turnix family? You really cannot go on one instance. Yes, groups can certainly be done without any issue, but that does not, by any means, mean that it is what is best.

 

[goodheart101]

I think they do better in pairs also. I have one odd button and no matter what cage she goes in, I always end up with bare back birds. They always pick at each other until I go back to just two in a cage, and let me tell you I have ALLOT of cages of buttons. And one of my pairs just hatched a bunch of eggs, now they have 8 little buttons hangin around in their cage. So I just don't know what to do with Mean Jean, she is a cutie but she gives who ever she rooms with a bare back. Some of their feathers grow back and some did not. So I guess my vote is pairs.