Incubating Button Quail Eggs

[Pyxis]

wow! i am very impressed by your planning!!

Lol, thanks! I should have planned even better and started the quail housing a couple weeks ago. I got the top and bottom panels knocked out quick the other day but had lost my staple gun so I was dead in the water. I found it, so tomorrow I hope to maybe get it finished.

 

[romea]

First little button out, it wasn’t even one that had pipped when I looked earlier!!!

And? How did things go?

 

[Pyxis]

Just popping in with an update. The quail are doing really well, but I think I'm male-heavy. Is any red at all on them a sign of being male? Because I have what I think are five red breasted ones that all have red coming in. I have one that I think is silver, not sure of the gender, and one that I'm pretty sure is female but I don't know the color of.

 

[casportpony]

I have no clue, but I would love to see some pictures.

 

[JaeG]

Just popping in with an update. The quail are doing really well, but I think I'm male-heavy. Is any red at all on them a sign of being male? Because I have what I think are five red breasted ones that all have red coming in. I have one that I think is silver, not sure of the gender, and one that I'm pretty sure is female but I don't know the color of.

Red does seem to be an exclusively male colour where quail are concerned. You can pair males up to keep them happy, or keep a few as a group. As long as they have a friend they are happy.

 

[Pyxis]

Red does seem to be an exclusively male colour where quail are concerned. You can pair males up to keep them happy, or keep a few as a group. As long as they have a friend they are happy.

Yeah, I was thinking I'd keep all the males in their own little group and if I'm lucky and the silver is a female, I'd put one male with her and one male with the other female.

I have no clue, but I would love to see some pictures.

Pictures soon! They're quick little things and don't like to hold still for pictures, lol.

 

[Pyxis]

I'm really starting to think I have six males and one female here I have five for sure males, three red breasted and two 'darth vader' which I think is more accurately called blue face red breasted, one female that might be red breasted but I'm not sure, and then a silver one that I think might actually be a silver red breasted male because it's getting a tint to its chest feathers.

Pictures soon I swear, lol. Their permanent housing has been giving me trouble because all the wood has warped since I started building it

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Oh so sorry to hear about the wood giving you fits can't wait to see your quails and there little "homes".

 

[JaeG]

I've just had a Button hen hatch out 4 boys and 1 girl! I've hatched some myself that are younger and I'm hoping the balance will swing back the other way!

Look at the feathers around their vents - anything pink or red means it's a boy.

 

[007Sean]

In most mutations the boys have white bibs and the girls do not. Some mutations are quite different between the sexes, such as the wild type, cinnamons, pearls. When mature the boys make a spooky, wind whistling type noise that's specific to males. Both males and females will make a "pew, pew pew" call - there's a difference I think but I can never tell.

JaeG, you got the spooky part down right. I was sound asleep and awaken by what I thought was a horror film monster in my home...what a hideous hissing/ rushing air noise.