Button Quail

[JacinLarkwell]

I want to learn about button quail.

What are some dos/donts?
How many colors are there?
Housing needs?
Do they do best alone, or in groups?
Can you keep males together if there's no females?

 

[Nabiki]

They aren't as cold hardy as most quail. I wouldn't let them get below 60 F.
There are lots and lots of colours... I'm not that good with the names, though.
Minimum of 1 square foot/bird, preferably more. Give them hiding places, dirt bath, fake or live plants.
The do best in pairs unless you have an aviary setting, in which case you can have groups.
You can keep males together if they can't see or hear females, depending on the personalities of the birds involved.

For incubating, they seem to prefer higher humidity than coturnix (around 50%).

 

[Ravenlover]

I want to learn about button quail.

What are some dos/donts?
How many colors are there?
Housing needs?
Do they do best alone, or in groups?
Can you keep males together if there's no females?

What Nabiki said

 

[ButtonBag]

There's a very good thread in the sticky with some basic dos and don'ts for buttons too.

 

[Ravenlover]

There's a very good thread in the sticky with some basic dos and don'ts for buttons too.

I agree i was gonna post it but when i was rereading it i realised there was errors on somethings. But a lot of it is good

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So then what if I hatch some out and I end up with an odd number or too many of one gender? Where I live, I have to order eggs because no one around here sees any point at all in raising a bird that doesn't give meat or eggs.

 

[Nabiki]

So then what if I hatch some out and I end up with an odd number or too many of one gender? Where I live, I have to order eggs because no one around here sees any point at all in raising a bird that doesn't give meat or eggs.

How much space can you give them? How many are you planning to hatch? If you have a large enough enclosure with enough hiding places, they might get along fine.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

How much space can you give them? How many are you planning to hatch? If you have a large enough enclosure with enough hiding places, they might get along fine.

My ideal set up would be a 3 sq. Foot pen for a pair that I can add small hides in. I have some 6 sq. Foot wooden pens I can split in half that I originally had made for my coturnix quail before I gave up and started making wired stackers for them. But that would be far later when I live somewhere they can be outside

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Though I also had thought about using an old 10 gal for a pair inside until I move since they can't survive outside where I live now

 

[Nabiki]

That's a bit small, but doable if you have them separated into pairs. I have a 2' x 3' plastic tub that I put holes into then covered with hardware cloth for two pairs. It still seems a bit small for them, but I have several hides and such in there. They were raised together, so they get along.

In your situation, if you end up with any non-pairs, you'll probably have to create a bachelor or hen pen for the leftovers.