The Button Quail Hotel....

[Skyesrocket]

That's a good idea. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[shelleyd2008]

So far my blue face male is the only one that ventures higher than level 2!! There was one bracw soul on the second 'shelf' this morning, they have been trying out their wings, and that's where they end up! The blue face figured out that there is 1) food on the middle floor; 2) there is water on the middle floor; and 3) that he has his very own millet spray there, where no one will bother him and he can eat it all!!

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
ha ha he's one smart boy!

 

[UrbanMama]

I ended up closing up the levels.

More to seperate the dominant and mellow birds than anything else. I have them 2 on top, 4 on the 3rd level, then the hurt hen on the second, and her mate on the bottom. My hen was healing nicely until one of the males ripped the scab of the top of her head...with more skin attached

Then I tried leaving her mate in with her (who had been gently before when she was just hurt) and he went at her cut too. That's why he's on the bottom. It he were anywhere else, the male to female ratio would be off...and he is definitely a dominant little fellow. I think in the end, keeping 4 to a level will probably work well and I'll just keep the levels seperated.

 

[KellyHM]

That's very nice. I might just have to rig up something like that for my Buttons. I have them in a big reptile tank right now, but I HATE having shavings in the house. And I just got rid of a pair b/c one of the males was beating up the other 2 boys...I had 3 boys and 3 girls, but now I'm down to 2 of each.

 

[UrbanMama]

I hated the shavings and cleaning/watering/and gathering eggs was always a pain in the aquariums. Not to mention, I had them all seperated into pairs and that meant aquariums all over the place

I seperated the levels yesterday morning and they already settled down quite happily now. My dominant males may end up seperated in aquariums ( with mates) if they don't do well in a small group.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

We were given 5 button quail Christmas Eve. (Thanks Jimmy! We love them!) How can I tell the sex? Three are pearly grey, one is blue/russet red and the last seems all black. They are just now 6 weeks old. Help please. They are in a aquarium and started acting agitated yesterday. I'm ready to divide them but who goes where?

Thanks!

 

[KellyHM]

Can you post pictures of them? Do any of them have white bibs under their throats?

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Quote:
I'll try to get pictures but they are amazing escape artists when I raise the lid.
The one that is blue on top with a russet belly has developed a white and black area below his/her beak that makes me think of the joker in Batman. Is that what you mean by bib?

I'll go sit by them and try to get a good look. If only they would hold still!

 

[KellyHM]

The one at the bottom of this pic has a bib, which means he's a male. However, the other 2 dark ones are also males but don't have bibs due to having 2 copies of the blue face gene. The silver and cinnamon are hens.