Button Quail Questions

[Malibu99]

Hi there I have a few button quail questions:

1) Do they need a run and coop like a chicken or what?
2) Can you keep just 2 or 3 females? (No males)
3) Are they louder than chickens?
4) How much room do they need for 2 or 3 females?
5) Where do I get them (I cannot hatch some)?


Thanks :3

 

[GrandmaBird]

Hi there I have a few button quail questions:

1) Do they need a run and coop like a chicken or what? No run a 18 deep x 36 wide x 18 high wire cage with a solid floor or covered wire floor with that non skid shelf liner. I keep mine inside and cover them at night.
2) Can you keep just 2 or 3 females? (No males) yes
3) Are they louder than chickens? no way go to you tube and you can listen to them
4) How much room do they need for 2 or 3 females? see above
5) Where do I get them (I cannot hatch some)? check ebay for eggs and ask if they ship live birds. or here try this site:
Stellar Gamebirds, Poultry, Waterfowl - Button Quail Information - Fort Myers, FL

Thanks :3

Good luck!

 

[Malibu99]

Thanks What about keeping them outside? Do they just need a cage outside?

 

[Malibu99]

Okay. So we have a plan. We have a fenced in garden (it's pretty big.). We also have a greenhouse inside the garden. So we'll build a little button coop and get 2 pair of quail. Would they be okay? We'll also put some wires across the top to keep hawks out. Other than that, do they need a top?

 

[TimBaumann]

If by "top" you mean a completely closed cage yes! When they get scared they fly straight up and I don't think they'll come back once thei'r out!

 

[gorabbitgo]

By two pair, i assume you mean male/female pairs? you'll need to keep them separated, as they're quite territorial.
They can "boink" straight up when they're startled, which is often, and easily get higher than four feet, so you'll definitely need a top on their pen. If the top is lower than three feet you might also want to add some padding in the form of a soft window screen stretched corner-to-corner and suspended a few inches below the top of the pen so that when they boink they don't smash into the wire and get hurt. When they boink, they boink hard.
They'll also need a heat source for winter. Birds that size just can't handle a freeze.

Think of them less like a miniature chicken and more like a ground-dwelling finch. I think that might help when you're considering housing.

 

[GrandmaBird]

Ask someone who has had one of these little birds "fly the coop"! Yes they can and do fly so a top is very important. You do not say what winter temperatures you have but these guys are sub tropical and like it between 40-80 F. I keep mine at room temp in the house so mid 60's-80. I would also have one pair as two will fight unless you want to divide the cage with lots of hiding places. You could try it but do not be surprised if they fight to the death. Hope this helps a bit and good luck.