Can button quail live happily in a jungle?

[jak2002003]

I keep seeing advise about keeping them in pairs and in groups, and its often conflicting. I thought about putting them in pairs, but I just don't have the room.
I tried to research on the internet about them in the wild, to see if there was any information about pairs, or groups, etc, but I can't find anything.

On pet care sites it often says to keep them as one male and 2 hens to stop the male over breeding only one female. Others places say to keep in pairs, and other sites say you can keep a mixed sex group if there is enough space - like in an aviary.

I have seen pairs, groups, and all sorts of numbers on you tube.

Does anyone actually know where there is observations of wild Chinese painted quails (button quail) on the internet? They are such small and nervous birds I thing it would be near impossable to watch them in the wild.

Since adding the new stuff to their cage they have stopped fighting - so far. I have nearly finished making the large outdoor cage. Just have to figure out how to make a door. They should be in it tomorrow. I will take a pic when its finished.

 

[GrandmaBird]

try this site and remember to look for Chinese Blue Breasted Quail as "button" is a nickname.

Bracken Ridge Ranch - Button Quail Eggs

 

[jak2002003]

try this site and remember to look for Chinese Blue Breasted Quail as "button" is a nickname.

Bracken Ridge Ranch - Button Quail Eggs

Thanks for that link. It was very interesting, although I don't like the cages they are selling for the quails - very small and boring for the birds.

I found a great video on Youtube of a group of Chinese Painted Quails with adult males and hens rearing their own chicks - this is what I want to aim for. If it does not work out, then I will put them into pairs. Here is the video link

 

[Karen in Baltim]

Small yes . . . boring no. Remember . . . Thunder and Lightening are now living in a "jungle" which will soon have it's own lake for dust baths. From their vantage point it has no resemblance at all to a normal Vision cage environment or the cages shown on that link I gave. I'm determined to find the Astroturf and bowl to finish it up this weekend. I'll post pictures as soon as it is done.

 

[gorabbitgo]

Small yes . . . boring no. Remember . . . Thunder and Lightening are now living in a "jungle" which will soon have it's own lake for dust baths. From their vantage point it has no resemblance at all to a normal Vision cage environment or the cages shown on that link I gave. I'm determined to find the Astroturf and bowl to finish it up this weekend. I'll post pictures as soon as it is done.

Sounds awesome and i'm looking forward to pics!
Make sure the astroturf you get doesn't come apart easily. I'd hate to think of your buttons eating bits of plastic and clogging up their systems. I've seen some heavy-duty stuff that looks like real grass and can allegedly take a beating without losing bits of plastic.

 

[Karen in Baltim]

Thanks for the tip! I want habitat . . . not green chick feed!

 

[damionlake]

In the wild they breed in pairs (most birds do) but most people will raise Buttons (and other breeds) in trios or flocks so they they have less injuries to one female, higher fertile egg production and a better ratio for less fighting. Button Quail can do quite well in jungle type aviaries, I work at a place called Victoria Butterfly Gardens and I breed and sold them a flock of 35 Button Quail that they have running around in the garden (makes my day to be able to watch them while I work). Its a 12 000sqft enclosure which is a tropical simulated jungle with temperatures ranging from 23-29 degrees celsius and 80% humidity, their is also a large pond and lots of other birds (Budgies, Doves, Eyton Ducks, Canaries, Finches, Parakeets, a Puna Ibis, a Parrot and Flamingos). These birds to extremely well in this type of enclosure, and before I sold them these Button Quail I was told that the ones that were their before lived to be over 10 years old!! They even had a pair of Mandarin Ducks that lived to be 24!

So if you can build a large aviary and run a flock of Button Quail in it they should do quite well, just remember the more space per bird the better!

 

[jak2002003]

Your place sounds really fun to work in! I wish I had the money and space to make a jungle aviary in my garden!

my cage is still not finished. I am having problems making the doors lol. I am determined to finish it tomorrow. Today I went out and bought lots of plastic plants and other stuff to put in it to make the quail feel more secure.

They are actually doing much better in the old cage now after I added lots of hiding places and the dust bath. I have not seen any more fighting at all, and no more feather plucking. YES!!!!!