Chinese painted/button quail

[FirstTimeClucky]

As I said I'm not bothered about them being tame but I wouldn't want them to be fighting.

I think the mistake I made was not providing them with places to hide. Both buttons and Japanese quail require hiding places. They must be something with more than one exit so nobody gets trapped. I use fake plants for reptiles, or even fake dollar store plants. I hang the foliage from the top of the cage or prop it up in a corner. All of my quail now have foliage to hide in. Every so often I take the fake plants out and wash them in the sink, as they can get poopy. As a bonus, they prefer to lay their eggs behind foliage, which makes them easier to find. Speckled eggs are surprisingly hard to find, and sometimes they trample them into the substrate.

 

[Emmaxx]

A coturnix quail is about the size of a softball.

I have no idea how big a softball is! but from what you say would about the size of a large (wood) pigeon be about right?

 

[hebe5]

haha dont we all!

I was going to say I could send you some eggs and guarantee they wouldn't be related in case you managed to get a male-female pair out of them, but then I realised I was being thick I may still be able to help in some respect, although I'm guessing by your gumtree link you are a good couple of hours or so away from me.

Aw thank you Emma! My goodness - there's a gumtree link??!!

 

[hebe5]

I have no idea how big a softball is! but from what you say would about the size of a large (wood) pigeon be about right?

Seramas are the size of a wood pigeon.

 

[Emmaxx]

Aw thank you Emma! My goodness - there's a gumtree link??!!

For the vivarium?

 

[Emmaxx]

Seramas are the size of a wood pigeon.

Oh wow, that's crazy! And they are actually a a type of chicken, not some sub species type thing?

 

[hebe5]

Oh yes - I'd forgotten all about that! I'm in deepest Somerset!

 

[Emmaxx]

Oh yes - I'd forgotten all about that! I'm in deepest Somerset!

Great, now I'm going to be reading all your posts with a thick accent!

 

[hebe5]

Oh wow, that's crazy! And they are actually a a type of chicken, not some sub species type thing?

Yes, they're the smallest chickens in the world - some people keep them as indoor pets and put diapers on them. I brought mine indoors when we had the snow and I've gotten in to the habit of bringing them indoors at night.

 

[Emmaxx]

I'm guessing they are quite tame(able) then, especially if they let you wash their feet for them!
I had to google them and they are quite sweet (for chickens ) do they all have that weird exaggerated breast though?