Button quail

[Andkingquail]

Whats your experience having button quail where they fairly easy to mantain?
And how many burron quail do you own.

 

[Nabiki]

I currently have 10 button quail.

They are fairly easy to keep as long as you keep their needs in mind and meet them.

Their needs are fairly simple.

Feed - This article covers their needs as well as just about any other type of quail. I have found that female buttons really need their calcium, so make sure that your laying hens are getting calcium on the side.

Shelter - They need at least 1 square foot per bird with plenty of hiding places. They are not very cold tolerant, so they either need heat or to be kept indoors. They shouldn't have to worry about temps below 40 degrees farenheit.

Make sure to keep their home, water, and food clean, and they will be pretty happy.

 

[Andkingquail]

What colors do you have?

 

[Sofmalvar]

I have many (10+) and regularly do hatches. They live in an outdoor aviary and love it. If you’re ever looking and are in CA, I can sell.

 

[Andkingquail]

I have many (10+) and regularly do hatches. They live in an outdoor aviary and love it. If you’re ever looking and are in CA, I can sell.

Thank you but unfortunately I live in Washington state.

 

[Nabiki]

What colors do you have?

I have a pretty wide variety. The two white ones that I had just went home with my friend this weekend. I have some blue headed red breasted, cinnamon, wild type, and some that I can't name on the colours. You can see them here:

 

[Ladybird CA]

I've had button quail on and off through the years starting in 2011.

These were the problems I encountered.

I had 2 pairs in a 40 gallon aquarium before I read that aquariums are not ideal for button quail adults. This was in northern California. I bought them from Gilroy Feeds. They had hundreds of button quail but have since changed ownership so I don't know if they still sell them. One of the females, a splash, hatched 7 babies. They were all dead when I came home from school so one of the adults killed them. If you have a broody female maybe just one more quail would be better to keep her company, most likely a male. Or you can try to see if she would be okay just being by herself while the chicks hatch. That might risk her abandoning the chicks but I don't know as I didn't try. I just rehomed them all after that happened.

In November 2020 I received 25 button quail eggs from Breezy bird farms in Canada. I had a good hatch rate, I think it was either 12 or 17 out of 25. DH didn't want them in a room so they were in the basement with no door to keep the cat away. I didn't have a secure pen for them, just a tote with netting clipped on. I went to home depot and could not find that rotary tool to cut the plastic lid as I had seen in a youtube video to make tote bins. I have since bought 2 tote bins for broody hens after I had only 5 female button quail remaining and rehomed them. The 5 buttons were then in an aquarium. Anyway my cat killed some and I had too many males that may have killed each other. I just found them dead with their (adopted) father missing. I assumed my cat got him. One day a meatball rolled under the oven and I found his body there. Then my then 2 year old son pointed to a corner of the ceiling and I saw a button quail sized black hole flash. He may have seen Petrie's spirit. Another thing I will mention is they need their cage cleaned no less than every 3 days or they will get balls of poop on their feet and can lose toenails this way. I had a toddler at the time and if I did not clean their aquarium once a week I had to soak each quail's feet in warm water until the poop balls came off. Also if you add live plants they will poop on them. I had 2 large fake plants with long leaves. If I add fake plants again I will ensure they stand up rather than horizontally.

Now I am going to receive a dozen button quail eggs from the same place. The cat I mentioned died of old age but we have a 4 month old kitten. I found a mesh cat door for the basement online but DH doesn't want adult buttons at all in the house. He says once they are fully feathered they will need to go in the shed. I mentioned to him they do not tolerate temps less than 40 F/ 4 C so he agreed to allowing me to use heaters this year. Last year I was not allowed to and all but two of my seramas died.

 

[Andkingquail]

I've had button quail on and off through the years starting in 2011.

These were the problems I encountered.

I had 2 pairs in a 40 gallon aquarium before I read that aquariums are not ideal for button quail adults. This was in northern California. I bought them from Gilroy Feeds. They had hundreds of button quail but have since changed ownership so I don't know if they still sell them. One of the females, a splash, hatched 7 babies. They were all dead when I came home from school so one of the adults killed them. If you have a broody female maybe just one more quail would be better to keep her company, most likely a male. Or you can try to see if she would be okay just being by herself while the chicks hatch. That might risk her abandoning the chicks but I don't know as I didn't try. I just rehomed them all after that happened.

In November 2020 I received 25 button quail eggs from Breezy bird farms in Canada. I had a good hatch rate, I think it was either 12 or 17 out of 25. DH didn't want them in a room so they were in the basement with no door to keep the cat away. I didn't have a secure pen for them, just a tote with netting clipped on. I went to home depot and could not find that rotary tool to cut the plastic lid as I had seen in a youtube video to make tote bins. I have since bought 2 tote bins for broody hens after I had only 5 female button quail remaining and rehomed them. The 5 buttons were then in an aquarium. Anyway my cat killed some and I had too many males that may have killed each other. I just found them dead with their (adopted) father missing. I assumed my cat got him. One day a meatball rolled under the oven and I found his body there. Then my then 2 year old son pointed to a corner of the ceiling and I saw a button quail sized black hole flash. He may have seen Petrie's spirit. Another thing I will mention is they need their cage cleaned no less than every 3 days or they will get balls of poop on their feet and can lose toenails this way. I had a toddler at the time and if I did not clean their aquarium once a week I had to soak each quail's feet in warm water until the poop balls came off. Also if you add live plants they will poop on them. I had 2 large fake plants with long leaves. If I add fake plants again I will ensure they stand up rather than horizontally.

Now I am going to receive a dozen button quail eggs from the same place. The cat I mentioned died of old age but we have a 4 month old kitten. I found a mesh cat door for the basement online but DH doesn't want adult buttons at all in the house. He says once they are fully feathered they will need to go in the shed. I mentioned to him they do not tolerate temps less than 40 F/ 4 C so he agreed to allowing me to use heaters this year. Last year I was not allowed to and all but two of my seramas died.

Thank you for sharing your experience with button quail, i currently also have them in a bin tote I got 2 dozen eggs for free from a friend and now I have 10 baby buttons.