Buttons in Greenhouse?

[cyndees]

Hello!

I am hoping to have about four buttons in my greenhouse, hoping to use them for bug control. I heard from one person that they will eat the new seedlings; does anyone have any experience with this?

Also, how high can they fly?

The greenhouse is quite large (33' diameter) so catching them to clip their wings might not be possible once they are loose in there!

Thank you!

Cyndee

 

[DK newbie]

Hi there!

Keeping buttons in a greenhouse is quite common where I come from. I haven't tried it myself, but I've read a few articles about it.
It seems that there are mixed experiences about how hard the buttons are on the plants, but it has been suggested that if you simply keep small plants raised from the ground in pots, on tables or in boxes, they are unlikely to harm them.

As far as I know, they can fly quite high - at least 2-3 meters or so. If you have windows in your greenhouse, you should probably cover them with some kind of mesh, and you might want to make a mesh door as well, so you can have the door open without having the buttons escape.

Around here, people suggest you clip their wings before letting them loose in the greenhouse, to prevent them from killing themselves on the roof while they settle in. However, it is said that you don't have to clip them once they grow back in, as by then the birds will know the boundaries of their new home.

Most people also advice keeping buttons in single pairs. I have one male with 3 females and most of the time it doesn't cause any problems, but they do tend to make incubating eggs hard on each other in various ways. However, mine don't have as much room as yours would get, so it might not be a problem.

Good luck!