Questions about raising button/chinese painted/king quail

[ButtonBag]

I'm finding it a little tricky to find reliable sources for what ages to do certain things for button quail chicks, and was hoping people here might be able to help if I post everything I'm unsure about so far?

1. What age should they be moved onto other food than starter crumb, and what sort of regular food should they be moving on to? Can I continue to feed them my turkey starter along with other food into adulthood to use up the bag?
2. What age should I start providing egg or oyster shells for calcium? Should they be mixed into the food or given in a separate dish? If I'm saving chicken egg shells for this do they need to be washed or treated in some way first?
3. What age should I provide grit, and what is the best kind for young button quail?
4. What age can I provide sand or dust to bathe in? (They have started doing this already in their food at 2 weeks old.) Will coarse sand work for grit and bathing combined?
5. What age should I be able to move them from paper towels to pine shavings? I tried it at 10 days but they were eating it quite a lot. They eat bits of paper towel if they tear it up too.

I'm thinking 4 weeks should be okay for most of the above? I've tried googling a lot of this but there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of detailed info out there, if anyone has some resources they trust I'd be really keen to know about those too

 

[Ravenlover]

I'm finding it a little tricky to find reliable sources for what ages to do certain things for button quail chicks, and was hoping people here might be able to help if I post everything I'm unsure about so far?

1. What age should they be moved onto other food than starter crumb, and what sort of regular food should they be moving on to? Can I continue to feed them my turkey starter along with other food into adulthood to use up the bag?
2. What age should I start providing egg or oyster shells for calcium? Should they be mixed into the food or given in a separate dish? If I'm saving chicken egg shells for this do they need to be washed or treated in some way first?
3. What age should I provide grit, and what is the best kind for young button quail?
4. What age can I provide sand or dust to bathe in? (They have started doing this already in their food at 2 weeks old.) Will coarse sand work for grit and bathing combined?
5. What age should I be able to move them from paper towels to pine shavings? I tried it at 10 days but they were eating it quite a lot. They eat bits of paper towel if they tear it up too.

I'm thinking 4 weeks should be okay for most of the above? I've tried googling a lot of this but there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of detailed info out there, if anyone has some resources they trust I'd be really keen to know about those too

Love the post and i hope we get a lot of answers from people with exp mines on day 10 incubation

 

[nchls school]

I'm finding it a little tricky to find reliable sources for what ages to do certain things for button quail chicks, and was hoping people here might be able to help if I post everything I'm unsure about so far?

1. What age should they be moved onto other food than starter crumb, and what sort of regular food should they be moving on to?
Since buttons grow so fast you kind of have to look and decide what to give them. I never used starter crumble as I made my own starter feed; a mixture of mash, minced hard-boiled eggs, and crumbled dried meal worms. As the chicks grew I reduced the amount of egg and meal worms. Even as adults I fed the egg and meal worms, but more as a treat.

Can I continue to feed them my turkey starter along with other food into adulthood to use up the bag?Yes.
2. What age should I start providing egg or oyster shells for calcium?
I provided hard-boiled eggs and dried egg shells starting as chicks.
Should they be mixed into the food or given in a separate dish?
I gave the shell separately and the egg is mixed in or, sometimes as a treat, separately.
If I'm saving chicken egg shells for this do they need to be washed or treated in some way first?I spread the shells out and let them dry thoroughly; actually my wife did.
3. What age should I provide grit, and what is the best kind for young button quail?For grit I simply dug up a (chemical free) piece of sod, put it in an aluminum pie tin, and gave it to them.
4. What age can I provide sand or dust to bathe in? (They have started doing this already in their food at 2 weeks old.) Will coarse sand work for grit and bathing combined? Tiny chicks will dust bath. Button hens will brood and hatch chicks and I have seen the whole family dust bathing just a couple days after hatching. Fine sand would, I believe, work better for git and bathing. The sod in the pie tin will be used as a place to take a dust bath when the sod dries out.
5. What age should I be able to move them from paper towels to pine shavings? I tried it at 10 days but they were eating it quite a lot. They eat bits of paper towel if they tear it up too. I used pine from day 1. Don't worry about them eating it.

I'm thinking 4 weeks should be okay for most of the above? I've tried googling a lot of this but there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of detailed info out there, if anyone has some resources they trust I'd be really keen to know about those too
I am a retired science teacher. One of the projects my student did was to raise buttons in the classroom. We had a 4 x 4 foot pen under a lab table with artificial lighting on a timer. The birds were quite willing to mate, lay eggs, brood, and raise their chicks several times over the course of the school year.

Should you have other questions I'd be happy to answer.

 

[ButtonBag]

Thanks for your answers, they're really helpful.

Unfortunately we can't dig up any sod as we're urban quail keepers sans garden! I'd also seen concerns about fine sand and pine shavings causing crop impactions.

 

[nchls school]

Thanks for your answers, they're really helpful.

Unfortunately we can't dig up any sod as we're urban quail keepers sans garden! I'd also seen concerns about fine sand and pine shavings causing crop impactions.

I used both materials with button quail for many years; no crop impactions. Corn cob bedding is a good alternative. Clean, dry sand can also be used as a bedding.

 

[nchls school]

Thanks for your answers, they're really helpful.

Unfortunately we can't dig up any sod as we're urban quail keepers sans garden! I'd also seen concerns about fine sand and pine shavings causing crop impactions.

I used both materials with button quail for many years; no crop impactions. Corn cob bedding is a good alternative. Clean, dry sand can also be used as a bedding.

 

[CindyinSD]

@muddy75 @Nabiki @Kiki @007Sean

 

[CindyinSD]

For the sod... if you'd like to give your buttons some sod, you could grow some in a planting tray in a sunny window or on a balcony. If you were to start one every couple of weeks, you could have replacements ready for them. I would let the root mat get pretty dense before giving it though, so it will last longer.

 

[ButtonBag]

That's a good idea, I could definitely grow some in a couple of trays out on the balcony.

 

[Ravenlover]

Love the idea O.O new info