Indoor Coturnix

[Missi]

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OOOHHH I like that set up even better & you can't beat the price! Can anyone tell I'm getting myself in to button mode?

*EDIT* Would that be good to keep harlequins in as well? I've never seen them in person so I'm not sure of their size

 

[rittert3]

Bass is good for "build your own" supplies too, someone elso has the plastic door trim. I don't have the room to buil cages here and someone gave me a free cage that will work just fine. Their girls wern't cleaning up after their guinea pigs so they got rid of them.

 

[snyd08]

i would order button eggs. keep cbbq inside rather than cots. if you do cots i wouldnt go much more than 5 in a cage that size. your gonna have it smelling like a chicken coop. NMW eventually your going to have that smell stick inside. not too pleasant. i'v learned that buttons do much better and dont make such a crazy mess that the cots do. just my 2 cents but cbbq are more colorful and "pretty" to look at as well. even african harlequins will do better as a household bird rather than big japs. again people do it and do just fine but i wanted to put the thought out there.

 

[rittert3]

I'm only going to keep 1 quad at my apartment and I've still got 5 months to plan before I start doing anything (tax refund, lol). All the hatching and brooding will be done at my dads 35 miles away. I'm looking at putting an inch and a half or so of sand (with some oyster shell mixed in) in the base and hoping it clumps so I can just use a kitty litter scoop. I will also add some timothy hay and a hide box. Debating on weather or not I want to use my ceramic rodent bowls for feeders or not they hold about a 1/2 cup of feed each and about 2" tall so they should work for adult birds, I also have 2 if I need and extra. I would also like for them to drink out of a rabbit water bottle if I can get them to I have several of these 8oz. gravity ball waterers. I used to breed rats for a pet store and had around 30 in my house at one time (in various tanks and cages) so the quail shouldn't be much, if any, harder to keep clean and low smell.?

ETA: My reasoning behing cots vs. Buttons is that buttons are a little beyond my skill level (I admit I'm a little scared to try raising buttons) and I'm going to have my 12 yo brother doing my incubation and brooding so I need something easier to raise. My other reason for picking cots is that I want something more usefull (I want to use the majority of the eggs for eating).

ETA 2nd time: lol If I wanted something nice to look at I would deffinatly not get cots because I find most of them ugly, although from what I've heard of thier vocalizations I do like that about them.

 

[chrishel]

A quad shouldn't be so bad in regards to the smell but you will have to keep on top of the cleaning.

Mine actually learned really quickly to drink from the rabbit water bottle. I was amazed. I put it in and one went right to it and drank. Unfortunately, I don't know if it's me or the bottle, but it dripped it's contents right out and made a mess so I haven't used it again.

I've never had buttons, but I would actually think it's the opposite and that they would be easier to keep. However, I totally understand about having useful pets!

Right now I've got 7 adults and 35 chicks in the house. It's getting to the horrific level. I think the chicks are going outside into the garage.

Even when they are adults, the garage might be bad. I just don't know yet since this is the first time I've so many cots.

 

[rittert3]

If all else fails I can use 1 ceramic dish to catch the dripping water from the bottle (maybe fill it with some river rock) and the other for food. I like the quail type mason jar founts for starting chicks but I want to use the bottle/s for adults. I also want to have something around with a little more animation than these 2 stupid bettas, which are free if anybody wants to pick them up lol. I also have a beagle thats about ready to find himself a new home if his ways don't change.

 

[snyd08]

rabbit water bottles are very easy for cots and buttons to learn from. mine pick up on it within hours almost everytime. also if you feel they arent getting it squeeze the bottle a little bit so they can actually see the water dripping and they will get the point real quick...

 

[rittert3]

Glad to hear.

 

[rittert3]

New issue, I did some feed research and found 2 gamebird rations 24% 5lb bag for $5 and 22% 40lb bag for $15. The 24% has yeast cultures added "for improved digestion and feed utilization" and the 22% has fat added "to enhance feed conversion". I like the 24% for the 2% extra protein and the fact I don't have much storage room, but I don't know if its worth 62 cents more per pound. I found some oyster shell for 5.50 for 5lbs or 12.50 for 50lbs same brand as the 24% feed I will most likely get the 5 lb bag there. The 24% feed is manna pro gamebird/showbird and the 22% is countrylane gamebird starter/grower (Orscheln store brand?) which feed would you go with in my shoes and why? Do I need anything else other than this and the oyster shell for a cot. diet? Maybe a little millet or milo? I plan on giving away quite a few eggs and being dirt cheap with the rest, I also might sell 1 or 2 small groups of started birds at the local bird auction each year but I want to stay cheap, however I don't have much room (I'm in a small apartment) so bulk isn't going to be 100% possible.

 

[aprophet]

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Buttons