Chinese Blue Breasted "Button Quail" Thread!!

[xchairity_casex]

Quote:
actually thats the guinea pig cage i converted to use for buttons except i put 2 together.

 

[chicken danz]

I would worry about the 1 inch spacing between the bars if your quail are anything but full adults. Even then they could get their heads caught between the wires and kill themselves. I use cages with 1/2 Inch space.

 

[KFCGirla(TM)?]

did they ever hatch?

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

No.

 

[xchairity_casex]

Quote:
yes i should specify i complety coverd the cage in soft screen becuase they can infact walk right out and fly right thru the top

 

[jak2002003]

Keeping these quail in colonies is fine, so long as you can give them plenty of space and lots of grass, plants and hiding places. My quail will hatch and raise their own chicks in a colony setting, and there are no issues with feather picking or fighting.

I have found that many of the problems with feather picking, fighting, and broodiness, are often genetic problems. Aggressive birds, or birds that will not brood eggs, pass on that instinct to their chicks.

We should be breeding the birds for temperament and broodiness, not just colour.

Its the same principle as in the different breeds of chickens. The game chickens will be naturally aggressive, but other breeds like silkies and Japanese bantams are rarely aggressive, even to other roosters.

Also people will keep quoting 'in the wild these quail are monogamous'. Where does this information come from exactly? I have found no scientific study of these quail in the wild, in fact, not a lot is know about them as they are so difficult to observe. If someone could give me a link to such information (that is not a pet care site, or quail business), than I would be interested.

It does not make sense that these bird live in bonded pairs in the wild. They are quails, not parrots. All other quail and similar species, such as peacocks, pheasants and chickens do not pair up. One male will mate with many females. They will also live in loose colonies which includes both sexes with a strict pecking order.

 

[gorabbitgo]

Also people will keep quoting 'in the wild these quail are monogamous'. Where does this information come from exactly? I have found no scientific study of these quail in the wild, in fact, not a lot is know about them as they are so difficult to observe. If someone could give me a link to such information (that is not a pet care site, or quail business), than I would be interested.

It does not make sense that these bird live in bonded pairs in the wild. They are quails, not parrots. All other quail and similar species, such as peacocks, pheasants and chickens do not pair up. One male will mate with many females. They will also live in loose colonies which includes both sexes with a strict pecking order.

I did some research of my own, and it seems that BOTH schools of thinking are likely correct!

I found a scientific paper that stated that Japanese quail are monogamous in nature, though buttons aren't mentioned. They are in the same genus, though, so it's not a major stretch to believe that the same is true for button quail.

The following quote is from A STUDY ON THE FUNCTION OF FOAM FROM THE PROCTODEAL GLAND OF THE MALE JAPANESE QUAIL (COTURNIX COTURNIX JAPONICA) WITH RESPECT TO ITS EFFECTS ON SPERM COMPETITION submitted by Andrew Hickman to the University of British Columbia in 1984:
"In the wild, Japanese quail are mostly monogamous but polygyny often occurs with a surplus of females (Moreau and Wayre, 1968; Wetherbee, 1961); under about 600 years of domestication (Howes, 196A; Yamashina, 1961), Japanese quail have become promiscuous (Wetherbee, 1961)."
I wasn't able to find online sources for the papers referenced, but there are at least a few that mention monogamy in quail.

You'll note that the final bit of that quote does state that domestication has reduced the monogamous nature of the quail, in keeping with your observations in your own flock.
So i guess it's safe to say that wild quail are most likely monogamous, but domesticated quail of the same species can be kept in larger groups if there are enough hides and the quail are cool with each other. This also supports your statement about breeding for temperament. Since quail have such a short generation span, it's very possible that some genetic lines have a higher likelihood to "flock" and others have a greater likelihood to be territorial. I'd be interested in a study on the tameness and flocking behavior of each person's quail noting the breeders from whom they purchased their birds.

In my personal flock, the male was amenable to the idea of living with five hens, but the hen he chose as his first mate was NOT okay with sharing no matter how many hides i put into their pen! Since i couldn't increase the size of their pen, i ended up separating the couple from the rest for the sake of all of my birds.
Others may have better luck with their own quail flocks, and it certainly doesn't hurt to try.
Just be prepared to make adjustments if things don't work out.

 

[jak2002003]

I did some research of my own, and it seems that BOTH schools of thinking are likely correct!

I found a scientific paper that stated that Japanese quail are monogamous in nature, though buttons aren't mentioned. They are in the same genus, though, so it's not a major stretch to believe that the same is true for button quail.

The following quote is from A STUDY ON THE FUNCTION OF FOAM FROM THE PROCTODEAL GLAND OF THE MALE JAPANESE QUAIL (COTURNIX COTURNIX JAPONICA) WITH RESPECT TO ITS EFFECTS ON SPERM COMPETITION submitted by Andrew Hickman to the University of British Columbia in 1984:
"In the wild, Japanese quail are mostly monogamous but polygyny often occurs with a surplus of females (Moreau and Wayre, 1968; Wetherbee, 1961); under about 600 years of domestication (Howes, 196A; Yamashina, 1961), Japanese quail have become promiscuous (Wetherbee, 1961)."
I wasn't able to find online sources for the papers referenced, but there are at least a few that mention monogamy in quail.

You'll note that the final bit of that quote does state that domestication has reduced the monogamous nature of the quail, in keeping with your observations in your own flock.
So i guess it's safe to say that wild quail are most likely monogamous, but domesticated quail of the same species can be kept in larger groups if there are enough hides and the quail are cool with each other. This also supports your statement about breeding for temperament. Since quail have such a short generation span, it's very possible that some genetic lines have a higher likelihood to "flock" and others have a greater likelihood to be territorial. I'd be interested in a study on the tameness and flocking behavior of each person's quail noting the breeders from whom they purchased their birds.

In my personal flock, the male was amenable to the idea of living with five hens, but the hen he chose as his first mate was NOT okay with sharing no matter how many hides i put into their pen! Since i couldn't increase the size of their pen, i ended up separating the couple from the rest for the sake of all of my birds.
Others may have better luck with their own quail flocks, and it certainly doesn't hurt to try.
Just be prepared to make adjustments if things don't work out.

Thank you so much for that information. It was very interesting to read indeed. I finally finished a run for my quail to spend the hot days outside in the fresh air. I live in Thailand (where they are native - but I never seen any wild ones), so I know they will like the climate!

 

[jak2002003]

It took me a few days, but I finally finished by quails new home. They seem to be loving it so far.

 

[laseterlass]

Very pretty. I need to build another and have been checking out all kinds of ideas.