Need help with my first Quail raising attempt!?

[I Don't Know Birds]

Hi all,
I was thinking and planning out getting a couple breeding colonies of button and japanese quail. Ive heard if you raise them from birth together, the are mostly fine. But I was wondering a few things; would the button and jap crossbreed if I keep them in the same run? could I keep the breeding colonies in the same shed but in different cages? will males from one colony try to breed with the other colony if kept in the same run? what food do they need? how big should the breeding colonies be? how big should the run be? and what is the best way to raise the chicks?

 

[chickmashnoon]

Read the stickies. Surf around here. I don't think that button and coturnix get along together well unless you have a very large aviary to keep just a few in. Why are you wanting to breed them? Your reasons will help in determining your set up. Are they going to be pets? Would you keep them primarily for eggs? Filling the freezer?

 

[I Don't Know Birds]

Read the stickies. Surf around here. I don't think that button and coturnix get along together well unless you have a very large aviary to keep just a few in. Why are you wanting to breed them? Your reasons will help in determining your set up. Are they going to be pets? Would you keep them primarily for eggs? Filling the freezer?

primarily pets and eggs, I have 2 1m by 6m runs available, so could seperate?

 

[I Don't Know Birds]

oh and I was thinking of 10 females and 2 males (decided to go with button) in the same run, would that work out?

 

[MageofMist]

Buttons are monogamus, so there is a chance the females could start fighting over the 2 males. It is less common than males fighting over females, but I had two hens in one enclosure with a male and had to separate them as the already paired female kept attacking her.

She is happily paired up with one of their sons now however.

 

[DK newbie]

Some seem to make colony breeding work to some extent, but in general buttons are best kept in pairs of one male and one female or possibly in small groups of 1 male and 2-3 females. Like MageofMist I've also experienced two girls fighting - not necessarily over the male, I think it was more a territorial issue, but one was chasing the other even though they were sisters, raised together and introduced to the male and the cage at the same time. The cage was 60 cm by 150 cm and I ended up fixing the issue by moving them to a small aviary, giving them roughly 4 times as much space. They have been living together and raising babies together without an issue since the move.
Males are also very likely to fight if there are more than 1 in each enclosure, so I wouldn't attempt the 2:10 ratio. But with 1 by 6 meters I think you'd be able to get away with 1:3 without significant disagreements among the females - just make sure you have plenty of hiding places so they don't disagree over the best place to nest and such.

 

[I Don't Know Birds]

ok thanks guys, will try that!

 

[Ulaidian]

Just digging this up, as it kinda answers a question.. can I hatch japs and buttons together, and brood them together? Instinct tells me no, but I've never hatched buttons before.

 

[Ulaidian]

Anyone?

 

[lomine]

I've never dealt with Buttons so this is just speculation. I think you would be okay incubating them together as long as the time lines up. I don't know if Buttons take less time to incubate or not but you'd have to account for that when setting them and going into lockdown.

I would be afraid to brood them together though. I image Button chicks are pretty small so they might not be able to stand up to the Cot chicks to be able to get to the food and water. Cot chicks grow pretty fast too so they would quickly outgrow the Buttons even if they start around the same size.