I am thinking about getting a couple button quail but have a few questions. Can they live with my bantam chickens? Will they survive outside in Maine with a heat lamp in the coop. Can they eat chicken food? And any other info i may need. Thank you, Jessica
You can't keep them with chickens due to disease transfer, and you can't keep them outside in Maine. They shouldn't expeirience temps below 50. You can't feed them chicken feed due to lack of protein. You will have to keep them inside on a solid floor and feed them a game bird starter.
Quote:You'll want to look through the quail forums and do a lot of reading before you get them. Briefly, though: No. They cannot live with your chickens. You should never house any quail with chickens. Chickens can carry some diseases that may not make them sick, but are fatal to quail. Button quail are also tiny & would not have defense against chicken bullying. They are small like a finch - tiny like chicken chicks that are just a few days old. They cannot eat chicken food. It is too low of protein and does not have the right blend of vitamins. They need gamebird feed. The higher the protein the better. The protein MUST be at least 24%. It needs to be Unmedicated food. They cannot tolerate cold temperatures. Maine winters -- or even spring & fall -- would be far too cold even with a heat lamp. They WILL die if you put them outside in that weather. They cannot even live outside in the winter in places like Florida. They also cannot tolerate drafts AT ALL. A member of the boards here recently lost all of his/her button quail from leaving them outside in a much warmer climate than you are in -- temps went down to 45 or 50 and they all died. Button quail are strictly an indoor bird in most of the United States, though they could be outside for part of summertime. They must have special housing, too, as they are prone to boinking (popcorning) straight up in the air and breaking their necks. They cannot be kept on wire either -- no wire bottom cages. This is not good for their feet and legs. They are also monogamous. They need to be housed in a male / female pair. While some people keep other combination successfully for a time, it does eventually lead to trouble. If you want a quail that can tolerate Maine winters without being in your house, you need to look into Coturnix quail. Even then, they'll need a decent shelter to protect them from your severe winters.
Welcome!! When I first started reading the boards, I didn't know what people meant about the "sticky" - but at the very top of the quail forum page, the top topic says "Sticky: Quail Notable Archives & Important / Frequently Requested Topics by Nifty-Chicken", and if you click on that link, you'll find a couple of very informative button quail topics. Plus lots of helpful people if you have more questions
Read this there is a little more info for you. I hope this helps https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=420499
