Do button quail molt??? Or did I get bunk buttons...

[jfulcher]

Okay I got a new pair of buttons today who did mention in her ad they were molting, well I am new to buttons, and am still unsure if "all birds molt"... They look healthy, act healthy, she says they are a mated pair that has produced eggs. They just look a little ratty so I was wondering if I got conned into bunk buttons or they truly are molting... Doesn't look like feather picking or anything like that. And my guess since she has had them 3-4 mos and got them at a petstore they might be 5-6 mos old.

 

[Stellar]

Button quail will make nests out of their feathers. They can look ratty but I don't see severe molting in them and I have a lot of pairs. You may want to check for mites if you see balding anywhere.

 

[jfulcher]

If it is mites what do I do for it? Sorry if I sound silly. I am thinking that is indeed what they may have female has a bald rump and male is missing feather in areas but just spots.

 

[TwoCrows]

You can put the powder "Sevin" in their dusting pan to control mites. You can get that at garden stores. Just shake a bit of it in the pan. Sometimes the females will look a bit ratty on their backs where the males mount them, causing feather loss.

Make sure they are on a good diet as they need a lot of protein this time of year for laying eggs.

And yes, all birds molt to replace old feathers.

 

[jfulcher]

I will have to find that and put that sevin and put it in there, the lady says she had them on a great high calcium food, but they look really worn and small compared to my 8 week old buttons. My baby buttons are huge compared... But yet when you get birds from a pet store its iffy how they will turn out and the info you will get on how to raise them.

 

[TwoCrows]

You might also want to add crushed oyster shell on the side for the females for added calcium. If you can't find it crushed small enough, you can crush it yourself in small enough size that they can eat. You can get that at most feed stores.

I wouldn't feed the males a layer ration as it has too much calcium for them to process.

 

[jfulcher]

How do you just feed it to the females and not the males?

 

[TwoCrows]

I feed my pairs "flight conditioner" gamebird food which has a good amount of protein and some calcium. Then I offer crushed oyster shell and cuttle bone on the side so that the males can get as much calcium as they need, the females will eat what they need.

 

[jfulcher]

Ahh gotcha.

 

[TwoCrows]

I have never kept button quail, only bobwhites. And I may catch heck in this section, but I am sure these things hold true for all species of quail.