New with quail & have hatchlings!

[emmalou2015]

Thank you guys! I really appriciate all your help. I have never really been a bird person but getting given these beautys i have really grown attatched and i'm over the moon that this has happened. She has layed many eggs before she came here and never went broody. I don't know if it's the atmosphere or anything. You guys are fab! Thanks so much!

 

[nchls school]

Thank you guys! I really appriciate all your help. I have never really been a bird person but getting given these beautys i have really grown attatched and i'm over the moon that this has happened. She has layed many eggs before she came here and never went broody. I don't know if it's the atmosphere or anything. You guys are fab! Thanks so much!

Yes, atmosphere. Buttons are quick to go broody, but the atmosphere, environment, has to be correct for them to do so. Button quail are confusing too many people. The numerous hens I had built no nest while laying; the eggs were simply laid in the same general area (most people would collect the eggs not knowing that this is normal behavior) and when the clutch was complete ( 8 to 10 eggs) the hen pulled all the eggs together and built a nest around them. Most of my males (not all) proved to be very poor fathers and had to be separated from the hen, nest, and chicks.

These birds are so fun to watch when they are raising chicks-have fun and enjoy!

 

[emmalou2015]

Ooh that is really good to know, that they are onviously more comfortable now they are here. I did research & we provide fresh fruit & veg every other day and dust baths which the female absolutley loves!The female was laying her eggs outside the private area that they have, in a corner on the outer side of the avery. I noticed she was wanting to sit but when she see people coming close she would run away. So we put a board against that side and she religiously sat daily. The male sat also. He is sitting on half the clutch now as well, he is doing a good job

i am looking foward to watching them grow. Thank you for all your help

 

[DK newbie]

Congratulations! Button chicks are absolutely adorable. I just had two buttons hatch chicks two days in a row, one hatched 10 chicks, the other 7, so it's definitely not impossible

And this is the second time I get chicks(still have the 6 that survived the first time). Mine are in an aviary(140 cm by 200 cm or something like that) too, though it's in an old barn, not outside. I suspect aviaries improve the chances of them incubating their own eggs - being able to move away from whatever scares them probably has something to do with it.
As I understand, you have two pairs in the same aviary. I don't know how large the aviary is, but if the other pair stays away from the chicks and their parents, I guess it is fine. However, my chicks have no sense of who their parents are. They will go hide under any quail they see. In my case, the 'targeted' quail has been fine with this and started helping taking care of the chicks, but this might not always be the case, so keep a close eye on them.

Apart from making sure the water is very shallow as someone mentioned, you also need to make sure they get feed with a high protein content. I don't think you mentioned what you are feeding them? In my case, I feed a game bird starter with 25% protein, but an even higher protein content is often recommended. And I grind it in a coffee grinder to make sure the pieces aren't too big.