button quail

[Dan Clark]

I want to breed button quail I have built a cage that is 3 feet wide and 6 feet long with plants, water and plenty of feed. I am trying to make it a comfortable location for the birds so they will be happy. I have one male and 5 hens. I have read that males will pair with a hen for life but I have also read that they will rebond with birds if they lose their mate. can I have multiple males in a space that big? will they make a new bond to pair up? and how many birds can I fit in my outside cage.

 

[muddy75]

I want to breed button quail I have built a cage that is 3 feet wide and 6 feet long with plants, water and plenty of feed. I am trying to make it a comfortable location for the birds so they will be happy. I have one male and 5 hens. I have read that males will pair with a hen for life but I have also read that they will rebond with birds if they lose their mate. can I have multiple males in a space that big? will they make a new bond to pair up? and how many birds can I fit in my outside cage.

Space wise I would say max of 10 birds allowing for a loss in floor space for “furniture”
with that space you could possibly have 2-3 males but males can be territorial even though buttons tend to pair bond. It tends to work best if the males are same age and have been raised together.

 

[Pandaisy]

I had a trio of one male and two females. It didn't work out, even though they grew up together. It's a hit or miss. The male liked one female better and suddenly started to attack the extra. I have two pairs now. I think this is the most natural way for them to live. My two extra males got along great, but they were constantly crowing for females. I sold one and paired the other one up with the rejected female. They have babies now. But that is just my experience. Keeping them in a group might work for you.

 

[Hiram Means]

I keep mine in a flock with multiple males, but they were raised together. It was a risk but I was kind of dumb back when I first got them and by the time I discovered they did best in pairs I had already had them together for a year, so I figured it was fine. Like Pandaisy said, it's kind of hit or miss.