Choosing a species/breed

[Blackoutcat]

Thanks everyone I've decided on Coturnix for my first quail venture. I've done a lot of research and they seem to be a great choice for me.

 

[TallChickMagnet]

I like Orpingtons,,,

 

[speedy2020]

Coturnix female quail do lay well and friendly.

 

[gorabbitgo]

Buttons are very quiet, adorable, and lay well, but they're difficult to tame fully and their eggs are teeny. I got mine for the exact same reason you're getting some now! While i found that buttons fit my lifestyle just fine, if you want bigger eggs and a better chance of getting a friendly bird you might want coturnix quail instead.

Coturnix are bigger overall and will be louder, but they're also friendlier and seem to be able to live together with fewer squabbles. They take longer to mature but their eggs are larger. They will also be messier and their pen will have to be cleaned more often. Coturnix are slightly more difficult to sex just by looking at plumage, and are more difficult to sex as chicks for the inexperienced.
Buttons are tiny and their eggs are about the size of a Cadbury chocolate mini egg. They'll get used to being handled but they rarely learn to enjoy it unless they're hand raised. They live in pairs in the wild and may turn territorial when they hit six weeks, but hens seem to live together contentedly without a roo. They're very messy, but as their messes are proportionally smaller i've found i can get away with cleaning their pen once a week. I keep mine in an indoor pen with deep sides and i put ground corn cob in as a litter, which absorbs liquid and prevents odor quite nicely. i found that i had to offer an alternative diet to the recommended game bird crumble as it made my quail's poop stink. The alternative food is a little more labor intensive and expensive, but it results in very healthy, nonsmelly birds and tasty eggs.

Both birds should be available near you. Buttons are often found at pet stores and coturnixes are common as their eggs and meat are used commercially. Your local pet store may be able to order them for you or you can check the internet for quail enthusiasts nearby. I found mine through Craigslist, which is a local classifieds website. Worst case scenario, you can have them shipped to you.
Check out the quail information threads linked in the sticky and decide what's best for you. Your pen can probably house about four-five buttons or two-three coturnix, so all you have to do is choose your quail! Good luck!

 

[Blackoutcat]

Thanks guys. I'm going to go with the coturnix. They seem the best choice for me.

 

[speedy2020]

Buttons are very quiet, adorable, and lay well, but they're difficult to tame fully and their eggs are teeny. I got mine for the exact same reason you're getting some now! While i found that buttons fit my lifestyle just fine, if you want bigger eggs and a better chance of getting a friendly bird you might want coturnix quail instead.

Coturnix are bigger overall and will be louder, but they're also friendlier and seem to be able to live together with fewer squabbles. They take longer to mature but their eggs are larger. They will also be messier and their pen will have to be cleaned more often. Coturnix are slightly more difficult to sex just by looking at plumage, and are more difficult to sex as chicks for the inexperienced.
Buttons are tiny and their eggs are about the size of a Cadbury chocolate mini egg. They'll get used to being handled but they rarely learn to enjoy it unless they're hand raised. They live in pairs in the wild and may turn territorial when they hit six weeks, but hens seem to live together contentedly without a roo. They're very messy, but as their messes are proportionally smaller i've found i can get away with cleaning their pen once a week. I keep mine in an indoor pen with deep sides and i put ground corn cob in as a litter, which absorbs liquid and prevents odor quite nicely. i found that i had to offer an alternative diet to the recommended game bird crumble as it made my quail's poop stink. The alternative food is a little more labor intensive and expensive, but it results in very healthy, nonsmelly birds and tasty eggs.

Both birds should be available near you. Buttons are often found at pet stores and coturnixes are common as their eggs and meat are used commercially. Your local pet store may be able to order them for you or you can check the internet for quail enthusiasts nearby. I found mine through Craigslist, which is a local classifieds website. Worst case scenario, you can have them shipped to you.
Check out the quail information threads linked in the sticky and decide what's best for you. Your pen can probably house about four-five buttons or two-three coturnix, so all you have to do is choose your quail! Good luck!

I have Jumbo Brown & Italian color and they are easy to sex at 2-3 weeks. They start laying 40-60 days.

 

[jak2002003]

Yep - I would go with the cotornix quails if you are wanting eggs to eat, and also birds that are easy to tame and pick up.

They are very cute - but the males are very noisy. They love dust baths and will spend hours lounging around in them. Make sure you provide them with lots of hay, hides, boxes etc to keep them occupied. This will prevent them from plucking each others feather out, which often happens if they get bored or stressed.

The button quail are really cute, but they are very skittish and the eggs are too small to be bothered eating. They also can be very aggressive to each other and are best kept in pairs out of sight of other pairs.