Raising Button Quail - Questions

[Je33ieg]

Hi everyone. I really want to get some button quail but am curious on how they will be able to interact with my chickens. Do they get along well? Also, can button quail escape through normal chicken wire since they are so small?

any other advice you may have is greatly appreciated.

 

[GrandmaBird]

It is not a good idea to keep buttons with chickens. the chickens carry diseases that the buttons are not normally around and that's not a good thing. that said the chicken wire is way too big for buttons they should be kept with 1/2 inch spacing at most. and they like to be warm not less than 65-68 f.

 

[James the Bald]

I.... must.... RESIST! .05

 

[dc3085]

Quail and chickens don't mix at all.

 

[cvandermerwe]

If you want some buttons you will have to keep them in either a cage or aviary. They truely are tiny, with day old chicks being able to squeeze themselves into trouble with wire as small as 1/4" square. If you go the cage route, keep it low in height, about 12" is good. Buttons that are frightened jump UP at an explosive speed, having the cage at only 12" will limit the damage to their heads/necks. You will still get bloody heads when you scare them, but they will be fine. After a while they get use to you and things get a lot better. If you get young ones be sure to grind the feed for a week or so, they have a tough time with crumble size food at that age (1-2 weeks). Marbles in the water is a MUST, they WILL drown as chicks in any waterer (even the one's designed for chicks). And if they don't drown they soak themselves to the point that they will pile for heat and then you lost half of them due to suffocation.

It's not all grim however, I have raised thousands of buttons and they can tame down really nice. They will never make it for long outside (free range/chicken coop) however.

Hope that helps!

 

[Je33ieg]

Thanks so much for your advice. My mother was actually wanting them and told me to "ask that question on your chicken page thingy"

But I can't thank you all enough for your advice. It sounds like they are not going to be quite what she was expecting, which is good for us to know ahead of time!!

Thanks again!!

 

[bubblebed]

Please don't attempt to do this. All 4 of my buttons died the first day I left them inside with my teenager chickens (2.5 months). I felt so bad and decided that I will not get anymore chicks of any kind. I don't know how the chickens will be when they're older or start laying eggs, but for right now, "no" do not put button quails with chickens. They will be fine with other quails but not chickens.