Hatching quail eggs and how to care for the birds after they hatch

[313759]

I have ordered a dozen quail eggs and they are on their way. They are button quail eggs, and I am asking experienced breeders/owners to help me out. Questions I need answers to:

· What temperature in the incubator for hatching for this breed
· What humidity is needed for this breed
· What type of feed should I use for the chicks after hatching
· How small are these chicks really gonna be
· Is there a possibility of these quail going broody

 

[dc3085]

I have ordered a dozen quail eggs and they are on their way. They are button quail eggs, and I am asking experienced breeders/owners to help me out. Questions I need answers to:

· What temperature in the incubator for hatching for this breed

45-55% humidity during incubation, 60-70% during lockdown
· What type of feed should I use for the chicks after hatching

No joke, they'll be the size of a quarter. They are so small that they are difficult to handle safely the first few days.
· Is there a possibility of these quail going broody

Moreso than the other domestic species available, but it gets less every year.

Brooder temp should be 95* the first week and decrease by 5* per week for 4 weeks, then wean them off the light.

Most other quail should spend 24 hours in the incubator after they hatch. With button quail you should do your best to pull them out around the 12 hour mark. They should be mostly or completely dry when you remove them.

Keep in mind that buttons are monogamous and mate for life, they should be kept in pairs. If they lose their mate, it should be replaced as these birds can actually die from loneliness.

It's really easy to end up with far more buttons than you want or can get rid of so it's wise to have an outlet for them. Parrot breeders and people who keep aviaries will be the ones most often seeking buttons, they use them as aviary floor cleaners since they'll take care of all the spilled seed.

You may have read or realized this by now, but buttons are not at all suitable as "pets". They are very nervous birds and you'll likely never be more than the food monster to them. They are for ornamentation and personal enjoyment, not for suitable for meat/eggs/or much else useful. They are however beautiful birds.

Here is a size comparison for you of adult buttons to adult coturnix quail

12 week old button quail


12 week old Coturnix

 

[313759]

Thank you very much this'll help me out and give me an idea what size bird I'm dealing with.

 

[313759]

Where is a good hatchery or breeder where I can get unrelated birds or breeding pairs. The eggs I'm hatching I don't know if their related so.

 

[dc3085]

That's a tough one. The only place I trust for buttons is bracken ridge ranch and their website says they aren't selling hatching eggs this year. Finding pairs is probably a bad idea unless you find a quality breeder selling them. looking for live birds you're going to get someones rotated production birds that are already past their prime as likely as not. I don't bring live birds home as a practice for biosecurity reasons, hatching eggs are a lot safer bet.

 

[313759]

Thanks for the info that'll help me a lot

 

[313759]

How long do you need to keep the eggs in the incubator before they hatch?

 

[Bryam]

16 to 17 days.

 

[313759]

Thanks