Quail newbie looking for feedback

[GrandmaBird]

I agree with Jak on keeping them in pairs. I see lots of folks who keep them in groups of 1 male and 3 females or more but you always take the chance that the dominant male will injury or kill the others, male and female.

Buttons are happiest in pairs, period.

It is up to each owner to care for their birds the way they want and to be sure they are happy and healthy. Good luck!

 

[Ferdinand]

Simply by keeping birds in pens we are taking a chance. With enough room per bird (usually way above the recommended) we can keep more together. I have kept several cock birds together in coops with hens and have never had problems. Its all about space and quality of life.

 

[gorabbitgo]

I had one male and five females all together, and when the male chose a first mate it was that female, not my male, who started harassing the other birds! I had to separate them from the others. Luckily i had another cage handy so i was able to prevent any injuries. The remaining females all live together quite happily and even preen one another.
There's evidence to suggest that quail are sufficiently domesticated to be kept in groups, especially if you have lots of room, hides, and multiple areas for food and water. Their natural state is to live in pairs, though, and they may revert to their natural territorial behaviors -which can include killing or mutilating offending birds- with no prior warning.

I hypothesize that territorial behavior will be passed down from territorial parents to chicks. I don't have any real scientific evidence to support this, though, and most breeders are more concerned about breeding for size and color than temperament. I guess it remains to be seen!

It's probably best to be prepared to separate your pairs if necessary. Better to have a plan B and not need to implement it than not have one and need it!

 

[Ferdinand]

I had one male and five females all together, and when the male chose a first mate it was that female, not my male, who started harassing the other birds! I had to separate them from the others. Luckily i had another cage handy so i was able to prevent any injuries. The remaining females all live together quite happily and even preen one another.
There's evidence to suggest that quail are sufficiently domesticated to be kept in groups, especially if you have lots of room, hides, and multiple areas for food and water. Their natural state is to live in pairs, though, and they may revert to their natural territorial behaviors -which can include killing or mutilating offending birds- with no prior warning.

I hypothesize that territorial behavior will be passed down from territorial parents to chicks. I don't have any real scientific evidence to support this, though, and most breeders are more concerned about breeding for size and color than temperament. I guess it remains to be seen!

It's probably best to be prepared to separate your pairs if necessary. Better to have a plan B and not need to implement it than not have one and need it!

Exactly that! I looked at the Quail housing thread and i was shocked. Many of the houses are tiny cages. I wonder how many of the owners of those cages refuse to eat Caged chicken eggs or meat? I intend to set up houses of 2x6. We have had 10 quails hatched so far i have room for three houses of that size. If i went by the stocking guides that would be enough to house 30 or more quails.

 

[RunningRabbit]

So we had a wind storm come through my town last night. I lost power at 3am, and it kicked back on around 7:30am. The temp in my bator fell to 93 degrees. I don't know how long they were actually sitting at that temp. The eggs weren't cold at all. They were still warm, but not as warm as they usually are. Do you think they're okay? I'm so frustrated at this point! I've been meticulously following every bit of incubating directions and would be utterly heartbroken if they died right now.

 

[RunningRabbit]

LOL! Never mind! After I got the temp back up to 100*, I gave in to my panic and candled my button eggs. All 8 of 'em were doing some dancing in their shells. One embryo looked like it was doing its own rendition of River Dance!

BTW how long does it take to see if cot eggs are fertile? The guy who shipped them to me, wrapped each one in bubble wrap, and laid them on their side when he shipped them. I'm positive they got knocked around quite a bit...It's day three of their incubation and there is absolutely no veining. Dark mass inside a few eggs, though. I am sure the mass isn't the yolk, as it is in a fixed position...but nothing that would positively indicate fertile eggs. Better yet, how far into the incubation period do cot eggs need to be in order to see any signs of development? Maybe I'm just jumping the gun, so to speak, with the cot eggs. But after everything my poor buttons are going through, I'd rather not keep a batch of no-hopers with them.

 

[RunningRabbit]

My humidity has gone bonkers. It used to stay at 59% consistently, and now hovers around the 42% mark. Nothing has changed in the room where it's housed, the temp stays stable as well, but nothing I do brings the humidity back up! I've tried 3 different hydrometers and they all read at exactly 42% humidity. I use sponges, hot water, and only open the bator to turn my eggs.

Is there a reason why my humidity is so sucky now? Heck, the humidity in the room is stable as well...I don't get why it's become so low.

 

[Ferdinand]

Hot water cools! i use a water spray which i store in the incubator and have two trays (shallow) of water in there also.

 

[GrandmaBird]

you could add a bowl of hot water just be sure it is covered with wire so the chicks can not jump in. I had trouble keeping my humidity up as we are so dry here in Colorado but the sponges worked and a bowl with wire on it. I placed the sponges so I could re-wet them through the holes for ventilation in the incubator and so I did not have to remove the top. I added it with a turkey baster.
The humidity will go up and down as the chick move around too...it is fun to listen to them and see the eggs moving about. The outside weather will also play havoc on your incubator if a storm is brewing or if it is way hot and dry...just relax a bit it will work out! Good Luck!

 

[RunningRabbit]

So, it is day 8 of my button quail incubation, and now I can't see a darn thing in them. Aside from two or three eggs that I can see the air sac in, the rest are impossible to see in now. It was difficult to see in most of them to begin with, but should I be concerned that now almost all are so dark that no light can get through their shells? I figure I'm either doing a great job and everything is going right, or a few of them have checked out and are dead.

BTW, spray bottle with incubator heated water has work like a charm to bring up my humidity!