Buy baby quail (not eggs)

[BigZTexas Quail]

My wife and I want to explore the possibility of having baby quail (Button or Coturnix) as pets in back yard. Does anyone know where we can get live quail here in Texas? We live in Austin area.
Is raising quail from eggs difficult?

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Do you know about buttonquail? I have a feeling you might not, or you wouldn't want buttonquail or Coturnix... I can tell you a couple things about buttonquail.. they aren't real quail, they are in a family of birds called Turnicade.... Also, you can only keep one pair per pen, and they are indoor pet.. that's just the beginning....Welcome to BYC! Glad you could join the Flock! Let me know if you need anything!

 

[le_bwah]

My wife and I want to explore the possibility of having baby quail (Button or Coturnix) as pets in back yard. Does anyone know where we can get live quail here in Texas? We live in Austin area.
Is raising quail from eggs difficult?

• Coturnix are easy to raise, hardy, and personable as long as you put the habituation time in while they're young.
• King Quail (many people call them Button Quail) are beautiful and sweet in pairs, but seem to be indoor-only pets and their eggs are tiny.
• You can order eggs online or find someone local selling chicks, e.g. through Craigslist. No one typically ships quail chicks because the stress is super hard on them.
• Hatching is easy and fun, as long as you have an incubator that will hold its temp. Make sure you know the difference between still-air and forced-air incubators.
• Look into the deep litter method as a way of handling their droppings. Very effective, minimal smell, great enrichment for ground birds.

 

[BigZTexas Quail]

My wife and I want to explore the possibility of having baby quail (Button or Coturnix) as pets in back yard. Does anyone know where we can get live quail here in Texas? We live in Austin area.
Is raising quail from eggs difficult?

Do you know about buttonquail? I have a feeling you might not, or you wouldn't want buttonquail or Coturnix... I can tell you a couple things about buttonquail.. they aren't real quail, they are in a family of birds called Turnicade.... Also, you can only keep one pair per pen, and they are indoor pet.. that's just the beginning....Welcome to BYC! Glad you could join the Flock! Let me know if you need anything!

Thanks for the reply. Let me explain. I have a large indoor bird cage. Have mated pair of Canaries in the top section. Want Button Quail pair for the bottom to watch and learn. My wife thinks they are cute. Can not find a source for live Buttons in Texas though. Do you know of a source in the USA?? We would ALSO like to get some Coturix quail to raise in the backyard. Have a veg garden with pen for them. I have a source for them and will order soon. Any help with Buttons would be appreciated. BigZTexas

 

[le_bwah]

I can tell you a couple things about buttonquail.. they aren't real quail, they are in a family of birds called Turnicade....

Buttonquail (one word) are a distinct family, Turnicidae—totally different animals than what most people call Button Quail (two words).

Button Quail (AKA what people keep for pets) are in Phasianidae—thus they are the smallest true quail. Also called King Quail and Chinese Painted Quail.

Just wanted to spread some bird-knowledge

 

[BigZTexas Quail]

• Coturnix are easy to raise, hardy, and personable as long as you put the habituation time in while they're young.
• King Quail (many people call them Button Quail) are beautiful and sweet in pairs, but seem to be indoor-only pets and their eggs are tiny.
• You can order eggs online or find someone local selling chicks, e.g. through Craigslist. No one typically ships quail chicks because the stress is super hard on them.
• Hatching is easy and fun, as long as you have an incubator that will hold its temp. Make sure you know the difference between still-air and forced-air incubators.
• Look into the deep litter method as a way of handling their droppings. Very effective, minimal smell, great enrichment for ground birds.

Thanks. I am looking into ordering the Coturnix now. Looking at Cackle Hatchery. Which brand incubator, size, etc would you recommend. Not worried about cost, just quality and adequacy for Coturnix. Thanks from Texas.

 

[pineapple416]

I want quail too! I feel like a good place to look first is Craigslist or hatcheries online. Also many feed stores will special order chicks for you if you ask, that's how I'm getting my royal palm turkey chicks in a couple days

 

[BigZTexas Quail]

Buttonquail (one word) are a distinct family, Turnicidae—totally different animals than what most people call Button Quail (two words).

Button Quail (AKA what people keep for pets) are in Phasianidae—thus they are the smallest true quail. Also called King Quail and Chinese Painted Quail.

Just wanted to spread some bird-knowledge

Thanks again for the update. My wife is Oriental and has always referred to the birds we want as Chinese Quail. I know them as King Quail. So I guess we are looking for the Button Quail (two word) variety. So many names ............

 

[le_bwah]

Thanks. I am looking into ordering the Coturnix now. Looking at Cackle Hatchery. Which brand incubator, size, etc would you recommend. Not worried about cost, just quality and adequacy for Coturnix. Thanks from Texas.

Depends on how many you want to hatch. Coturnix eggs aren't otherwise "picky."

Brinsea incubators are decent quality and come in different sizes/tray arrangements. For more than a few dozen, an automatic tray turner is helpful.

It's okay to buy based on the egg-count they give—e.g. if they say it holds 56, it'll hold 56. Thought you can typically pack just a few more eggs into any incubator if you hand-turn .

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Thanks for the reply. Let me explain. I have a large indoor bird cage. Have mated pair of Canaries in the top section. Want Button Quail pair for the bottom to watch and learn. My wife thinks they are cute. Can not find a source for live Buttons in Texas though. Do you know of a source in the USA?? We would ALSO like to get some Coturix quail to raise in the backyard. Have a veg garden with pen for them. I have a source for them and will order soon. Any help with Buttons would be appreciated. BigZTexas

Thanks again for the update. My wife is Oriental and has always referred to the birds we want as Chinese Quail. I know them as King Quail. So I guess we are looking for the Button Quail (two word) variety. So many names ............

purley poultry sells live pairs of "button quail for $14...