New (unusual) Button Quail Chick

[lena_]

I'll try and get a photo of Amber tomorrow but the weather is supposed to be not so great so we shall see. But... I'm very excited to finally have a male Caramel - his little white bib has just started showing itself. I'll be so interested to see how he ends up looking
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I also hatched out one Coturnix quail who arrived two days early. It's been ridiculously hot here and so unbelieveably humid it's not funny. Our indoor temperature has been 86F (30C)! None of the other eggs I put in with that one developed so there are a couple more a few days behind him/her. He'll have some big friends soon, but he seems quite happy hanging with the littlies. He's so much fuzzier than they are and so docile.

This is him with a brand new Button chick and the other two Buttons are 5 and 6 days old:
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They are very cute!It's been too long since i've seen a fuzzy face... Any tips on getting buttons to lay eggs/go broody?

 

[JaeG]

They are very cute!It's been too long since i've seen a fuzzy face... Any tips on getting buttons to lay eggs/go broody?

My first ones I had to raise, after the hen abandoned the pipping eggs, took forever to start laying. But I think hiding places and as little stress as possible helps a lot. I've got a trio inside (although I think the male prefers one female over the other). They've started a nest in the most secluded part of the cage where I've leaned a piece of firewood up against another.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Silver? Platinum? Sumthin

Coturnix

 

[JaeG]

Silver? Platinum? Sumthin

Coturnix

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He definitely looks lighter than the standard silvers that I'm finding on Google. That's the problem with quail - there are no 'standards', so it can be frustrating trying to pin down what colour they are. This site has a Pewter one that looks like your boy (but again, that's just what they are calling it):
https://jacksjungle.weebly.com/quail.html
Other places it's called Platinum. Very pretty anyway!

The 'silvers' definitely just look like a silver pharaoh, but the platinums are diluted further and much softer in colour, like your pretty boy.

 

[JaeG]

Here is Amber at 5 weeks old:

Next to her Cinnamon brother

@Feather Hearts you'll have to share a photo of how your boy is looking.

 

[lena_]

Here is Amber at 5 weeks old:
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Next to her Cinnamon brother

@Feather Hearts you'll have to share a photo of how your boy is looking.

I will in the morning, doo you have any pics of your button quail setup? My Stepdad is planning on helping me build a quail area, and I'd love ideas.

 

[JaeG]

At the moment they are all over the place. My main group is in the aviary, then I have babies and a few other groups in indoor rabbit cages in the house. Occasionally we get one escaping and even the adults can fit out the 2cm bar spacing if they feel like it! Thankfully my new ones have settled down and haven't tried that in awhile.

You could do a set of cages, one on top of the other. Mostly solid walls are probably a good idea to make them feel safe, and the front will need a solid band at the bottom to keep any babies in. Just think about what height is going to be comfortable to clean out.

 

[DwayneNLiz]

pretty!
i love all the colors they come in!
and i love the blue on amber's brother!

 

[lena_]

The quail that I have been calling ivories now have ginger faces. No coloured belly, chest or vent Feathers. just faces. Is this normal??

 

[JaeG]

The quail that I have been calling ivories now have ginger faces. No coloured belly, chest or vent Feathers. just faces. Is this normal??

I'm going to need photos! That does sound different! I love how you never quite know how they are going to turn out. I'm impatiently waiting for some of mine to grow (I keep telling them to hurry up).

That breeder unfortunately let me know that the eggs didn't hatch. So I'll have to wait for some of her chicks. All my soft brown chicks, like Amber, are turning out to be girls.

I picked this boy up from The Bird Barn in Auckland:

In 5 days I should have some of his chicks start hatching so I might be able to figure out what colour he is (unless it's more recessive than his favourite Cinnamon girl). He's lighter and more ginger than my Cinnamon males, who also don't have that patterning on their backs. Her eggs have been hard to candle - usually I have no problem seeing what's going on inside, but even a lighter shelled one of hers has been a challenge to see into.