Calling all quail experts!!!!! A Few quail questions for you!!

[guin lover]

Thinking of getting some king quails, A few questions:
-How much should i pay for a pair (1 male 1 female)? i can get a pair for $16, is this a good price?
-How much space do i need for the 2 of them?
-What should i feed them?
-Do they need Perches?
-Do they need nesting boxes?
-How long till they start breeding/Laying?

I need As much help as i can get!! thanks!!!

 

[guin lover]

Sorry, Just found out, they're button Quails!!

 

[Emilys3guppies]

Quote:
Don't know how much to pay.

1 square foot of space/bird technically but some find they do OK with less space.

Feed them game bird crumbles or starter turkey crumbles.

They won't perch.

They might like nesting boxes. Your female is more likely to brood her own eggs if she has somewhere quiet and private. She needs places to hide from the male too.


They start laying at 6-8 weeks, I've heard.

Here's a link with info:
http://www.geocities.com/butonquail/

 

[ken429h]

Quote:
My quick answers to your questions.
How much should I pay? As much as the market allows. $16 is not a lot, but more than I would pay for pet birds.

How much space do i need for the 2 of them? Roughly 1 square foot of Flore Space per bird so 2X1=2. MORE IS BETTER!

"What should i feed them?" Chicken/game bird starter 20% protein or better. Crumbles, not pelts.

"Do they need Perches?" NO.

"Do they need nesting boxes?" It depends, but generally NO.

"How long till they start breeding/Laying?" Breading starts at around 4+ weeks and laying depends on conditions.

That's as much info as I can supply on King/Button quail.

I hope this was helpful.

Ken

 

[eggsrcool]

-How much should i pay for a pair (1 male 1 female)? i can get a pair for $16, is this a good price? Yes sounds reasonable
-How much space do i need for the 2 of them? 2ft Square but the more the merrier your quail will be!
-What should i feed them? Chick crumbs, millet and maybe some live food.
-Do they need Perches? Nope!
-Do they need nesting boxes? Nope! This will save you a lot of work as I found out!
-How long till they start breeding/Laying? 6-8 weeks is a good guess, but some wont start until next season which could be over 20 weeks away.

 

[guin lover]

Thanks For All Your Help!! But now i've got more questions...(sorry:/)
-Can thy be housed with chickens/Guineas?
-Can they Be housed on wire?
-Can't i feed them bird seed??
-What's the maximum i should keep?

 

[guin lover]

Sorry, one more- cockn Ratio??

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Buttons need to be kept seperate, they are so small that a chicken would probably eat them. They also need to be kept indoors unless you are in an area that is fairly moderate AND they have shelter.

Buttons should have more than 1 sq. ft. per bird, they are rather grumpy if they are cramped. A 20 gallon long fish tank is good for 1 pair.

$16 is a good price for a pair of buttons, it's basically whatever the market in your area is.

Buttons should be kept on solid flooring since their feet are so small.

You can give bird seed to them once or twice a week AS A TREAT but they need game bird crumbles as their diet. Being quail, they need to have a high amount of protein. If you do offer them bird seed as a treat you need to offer them some type of grit as well. Sand or starter grit would work for this. They'll also need something to dust bathe in, so sand is usually used as their grit and dust bath.

You should keep buttons in a 1:1 ratio, as they would normally pair for life in the wild. If you choose to have more hens than males, 3 is probably the most I would have per male.

Buttons don't need perches or nest boxes, but if you give them a box they will most likely use it. Buttons are the most likely to set eggs, if given the right environment.

I think some people are confusing buttons with coturnix, they are not. My buttons have normally started laying about 8-10 weeks old.

 

[fitzy]

Quote:
I just added button to my mix after my buddy that runs a pet store said he'd wholesale them for me at $8 each....but that's in ks. I think a more important question is: Are they healhy and from a reputable source? If not, then the price isn't really revelant anymore!

 

[ken429h]

I think some people are confusing buttons with coturnix, they are not. My buttons have normally started laying about 8-10 weeks old.

That would be me(guilty as charged)

On a genetics scale, there isn't a dimes worth of difference between the 2! I stand behind that.

A 20 gal. long/short fish tank is 12 x30 x 12. The flore space is 2.5 ft.
I conciser that a one square foot + per bird, but that's just me.

I think there is even a 40-55 gal that fits that foot print . Don't confuse fish with birds, because fish can occupy all 3 dimensions.
I differ to the masters, but a 20 gal long tank is 2.5 ft per bird, no matter how you slice it. MORE IS BETTER!​