Lonely King

[gingkitten]

My daughter got a really good deal on an avirey and birds it came with two quails cocktails and budgies. Sadly not long after getting them her female quail died leaving a very sad male. I have never had anything to do with quails so have no idea what to do for him. My daughter has been very upset and doesn't know if she wants to give up on having anymore quails but feels very upset that King is so sad she was thinking of re homing or getting a couple to help him with the social aspect He is a Chinese button and super cute but its also super sad hearing his roster call. should we get him some friends to help with his loss will it help with his loss?

 

[DK newbie]

He can die from stress if he is kept alone - I suggest getting either a male friend for him or 1-2 females, asap. If you get females, there is a chance of babies and those are super cute - but should be separated from the parents before they turn 7 weeks, don't expect to be able to keep the babies with the parents.
However, you should probably investigate why the female died - two main possibilities are incorrect feeding or boinking into the top of the aviary. If the aviary is more than 5-6 feet, I'm told they usually don't boink hard enough to kill themselves, but I can't say for sure. As for the feed, they should get something with around 24% protein and there should be a calcium supplement available to the female as she uses it for egg production. They should not have access to the feed the other birds get - they love seeds and usually won't eat their healthy, protein rich diet if they have the option of eating seeds.

 

[gingkitten]

thank you for the advise I thought the Chinese buttons pair for life ? She never really settled in the poor thing both quails were housed with other birds mainly budgies in a walk in aviary. We are going to visit a breeder sometime this week so will ask for tips as well.

 

[DK newbie]

They do pair for life, but if a partner dies the remaining one will look for a new partner. And as for 'pairing', I have a roo that has 3 hens and one that has 2 and that works out as well.
Males will fight if several males are kept in an enclosure that also has females - but if you keep males together without females, they have no reason to fight and usually (to the extent of my experience) won't.
As for the hen not settling in, did she have cover on the ground? Branches, grasses or similar to hide in and behind?