Button Quail

[Mt. Baker Quail]

I just bought 12 button quail eggs and I have some questions about button quail.

1. Will 29% protein game bird starter work for the chicks and the adults, and do I need to mix it with bird seed?

2. Will 60% humidity be fine for all 16 days of incubation?

3. I started the eggs on March 25 so on what day do I stop turning the eggs?

4. Can I keep the adults pairs in storage totes?

5. Can I keep the chicks on paper towels or should I use non-skid liners?

 

[TwoCrows]

I am not an expert on Buttons, but I can answer some of these questions....

I just bought 12 button quail eggs and I have some questions about button quail.

1. Will 29% protein game bird starter work for the chicks and the adults, and do I need to mix it with bird seed? Yes 29% gamebird food is fine. Hold off on the seeds for the first 6 weeks and when you do add seeds, offer grit.

2. Will 60% humidity be fine for all 16 days of incubation? Yes.

3. I started the eggs on March 25 so on what day do I stop turning the eggs. Stop turning the eggs 14 days after incubation started, which I believe would be on April 8th. At this time, up your humidity by 10%. (so you want 70%)

4. Can I keep the adults pairs in storage totes? This is where I am unsure...many people do keep them in storage totes, you can also keep them in aquariums, bird cages etc...I am not sure about how to pair them however.

5. Can I keep the chicks on paper towels or should I use non-skid liners? Paper towels work well after hatch because you want to sprinkle feed around so they can find the food. But anything that is non skid is best for their feet. After they learn where the food is, pine shavings work really well.

Good luck!!

 

[Jackeltree]

I'm not an expert on hatching...my button pair hatched their own eggs. But I do know from experience that mature males will pick on each other...usually one will dominate the other and in my own experience, will beat him down until he dies. Females seem to get along fine and male/female(s) pairs seem to get along just fine. But watch them carefully to be sure. Also be aware that not all males have bibs, especially with colored and fancy varieties (all three males I ever had I bought as females and they turned out to be males, hence the tragedy I mentioned above).

As for storage totes...I used one once to separate a male from my main enclosure and I used binder clips on top to secure a piece of tulle fabric. This worked very well and offered a soft roof (for the "bop factor") and good ventilation.

Good luck!

-Crystal

 

[Mt. Baker Quail]

I just had 4 chicks hatch. I set the egg on the 25th of March so they are 3 day late I think. Why did they hatch so late?

 

[meschelelaisav]

You did a darn good job on answering questions!!! Your protein is great as well as humidity. We use shelf liner and this seems to do a great job...just as long as they aren't slipping around or they can suffer from splayed leg and will eventually die. You stop turning eggs 13-14 days after you put them in the incubator. The last three days they are trying to figure out where to start pecking at. Hatching occurs between 16-22 days so three days "late" is actually perfectly normal.

Storage totes or glass aquariums are fine. As for males getting along, maybe we are just lucky. But most of our males get along great. The key is making sure there are more females than males housed together.

Have fun! They are the most awesome little birds!

 

[cva34]

You did a darn good job on answering questions!!! Your protein is great as well as humidity. We use shelf liner and this seems to do a great job...just as long as they aren't slipping around or they can suffer from splayed leg and will eventually die. You stop turning eggs 13-14 days after you put them in the incubator. The last three days they are trying to figure out where to start pecking at. Hatching occurs between 16-22 days so three days "late" is actually perfectly normal.

Storage totes or glass aquariums are fine. As for males getting along, maybe we are just lucky. But most of our males get along great. The key is making sure there are more females than males housed together.

Have fun! They are the most awesome little birds!

Yes 2CR is always :good read and useful INFO...cva34