My new Buttons are comming Today!!

[Sumatra503]

I have a few eggs in the incubator now actually. I'm certain I'll get a male from 20 eggs. I started those yesterday. They were extra eggs that were free of charge from the breeder, so I'd hat to knock it. they are all clean, fresh, and unbroken eggs.

Anything I should know about hatching these buttons. Is it pretty much the same as the coturnix? I have separate hatching baskets for my buttons to keep the tiny chicks out of trouble.

Also do you have an easy way to sex them Quail Lady?

 

[Stellar]

It's pretty much the same as Coturnix. Incubation is 16 days instead of 17 days, lockdown at 13 days.

Sexing..the easiest chicks to sex are the red breasted hens because they will have a dark rump. Other than that you will have to wait for the red feathers to come in for the males or vent sex when they are older.

 

[Sumatra503]

i'll have to check and see if the red feathers have come in yet. Would they have them at one month? They are fully feathered and about full size for the most part.

There is one little piddly one that I'm not too sure about. It just sits in the corner of the cage and freaks out more than the others when I walk in. it's about half the size of the others as well. So weird. Do you think it's just younger than the others?

I really like them. They are very cheery little birds. I heard them talking to eachother this morning. It woke me up.

 

[mhwc56]

i wonder if the 1 that's small and etc is being picked on by the others...or expects to be ?

 

[Sumatra503]

Perhaps, but why is he so much smaller than the others? He isn't showing the other signs, like missing feathers and I haven't noticed them picking on him much. Maybe he's the odd one out.

 

[Sumatra503]

LOL. I just collected four eggs. Guess the breeder got it wrong. This sucks, now I have to wait and see for some more males. Watch, all of the eggs are going to hatch out females now.

Think these new eggs are fertile Quail Lady? They were in with a ton of males at the breeder's.

 

[Stellar]

It's possible they are fertile. It doesn't hurt incubating them.

 

[Sumatra503]

I definitely will try incubating them. I don't think all of them. Four eggs a day would be a few too many chicks I think.

Also, no red butts, so I'm at a loss. Is it like a red red or a quail red?

 

[Stellar]

http://www.stellargamebirds.com/Button-Quail.html