Buttons vs Coturnix

[GreedySeedFeedy]

Hello, I keep coturnix as breakfast-giving pets for 4 years now and love them! I am curious about adding some button quails to my quaiviary. I understand they are quieter than cot roosters crowing, but how much quieter? Coturnix roosters, when unhappy, are incredibly annoying. I would say they are as loud and shrill as a cage of screaming budgies or a ringing rotary phone. You can hear them from outside.
Those of you who have kept both, how would you compare the call of a button quail?

 

[JaeG]

Buttons can be just as noisy, especially at night. A pair kept together is generally quieter, though they can still call at night if the mood takes them, whereas Cots will only call during the day. The boys do a spooky wind whistling call and both sexes do a loud "Pew, pew pew" sort of call.

These are quite good videos of their calls:

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

Haha, I WISH cots only crowed during the day!! That would be amazing.

I love the cute noises buttons make, especially the HeeHeeHee! I watch a lot of youtube videos with buttons, but there's no way to judge volume, sadly. Some videos make super quiet sounds like a honking finch seem as loud as a fire alarm, and vice versa.

However, if button quail have the same volume as coturnix roosters I really would rather not add to the barely tolerable screaming. At least my ultra loud boys will cuddle with me, lol!

 

[JaeG]

Haha, I WISH cots only crowed during the day!! That would be amazing.

I love the cute noises buttons make, especially the HeeHeeHee! I watch a lot of youtube videos with buttons, but there's no way to judge volume, sadly. Some videos make super quiet sounds like a honking finch seem as loud as a fire alarm, and vice versa.

However, if button quail have the same volume as coturnix roosters I really would rather not add to the barely tolerable screaming. At least my ultra loud boys will cuddle with me, lol!

Volume wise the Cots are probably more shrill, but the "Pew pew pew" call would be just as loud with the Buttons, especially if they can hear other Buttons but can't see them, but it is more pleasant compared to the Cots yell. If you just had a pair (the best way to keep them) they would mostly call during the breeding season (spring and summer) but not a lot because they are together. There would just be the very odd loud call and the male would do more of his wind whistling to impress his girl.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

Volume wise the Cots are probably more shrill, but the "Pew pew pew" call would be just as loud with the Buttons, especially if they can hear other Buttons but can't see them, but it is more pleasant compared to the Cots yell. If you just had a pair (the best way to keep them) they would mostly call during the breeding season (spring and summer) but not a lot because they are together. There would just be the very odd loud call and the male would do more of his wind whistling to impress his girl.

It's eerie how much they look like tiny cots!

 

[JaeG]

It's eerie how much they look like tiny cots!

They are very cute but they are active little birds so need more space than the cots. 4 sq/ft per pair is a minimum. They can also fly really well and we've lost a few because they flew out the door as it was opened. Unless they are white they camouflage really well and we could never catch them again.

 

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

Hello, I keep coturnix as breakfast-giving pets for 4 years now and love them! I am curious about adding some button quails to my quaiviary. I understand they are quieter than cot roosters crowing, but how much quieter? Coturnix roosters, when unhappy, are incredibly annoying. I would say they are as loud and shrill as a cage of screaming budgies or a ringing rotary phone. You can hear them from outside.
Those of you who have kept both, how would you compare the call of a button quail?

I’m my experience I feel they are just as loud as normal cot roosters. I actually even have a cot rooster who crow is way more quiet than my button roos crow.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

I’m my experience I feel they are just as loud as normal cot roosters. I actually even have a cot rooster who crow is way more quiet than my button roos crow.

My 4y old rooster's crow is very unenthusiastic and more of a grumble. It's quite cute! But, my 16 month old's crow is so loud that it makes my ears ring for a while, as if a human screamed full force in my ear! Lol I'm going to hold off on button quails if they're more of the same.

 

[GreedySeedFeedy]

The contradicting information on this simple matter is mind-blowing. Super extreme opposite answers everywhere I look! Before getting coturnix quails, I experienced extreme opposite answers regarding volume, too! It's a good thing to talk to people who have had both, I think... It's a big commitment, and an important mistake to NOT make.

 

[Quailobsessed]

They are very cute but they are active little birds so need more space than the cots. 4 sq/ft per pair is a minimum. They can also fly really well and we've lost a few because they flew out the door as it was opened. Unless they are white they camouflage really well and we could never catch them again.

I had two fly away when I first got some. I never found them either. I was so upset. I even put out lost posters (probably the only person in my area who puts up a lost poster for their quail ).