two questions about button quail

[pbjmaker]

Had a singleton hatch so far. There were only two eggs that developed so not necccisarily counting on the second one to hatch. I had to help the one out of his shell this morning - completely stuck and my humidity is terribly low in the incubator. I can get it up to the 60's but it drops within 12 hours down to the 20's.

1. His toes are curled so far - will they straighten up on their own? I don't know that I have the fine motor coordination to make boots that small.

2. How will he do as a single chick?

Hot2Pot suggested the old stuffie trick which I have used with single chicken chicks. There are other eggs in there due to hatch in the next week. Will he grow enough that he will be OK with them? There are 2 chicken eggs and 5 guineas.

Ok I guess that is three questions...

Thanks for any help - I have read and reread the button sticky - it has been a big help.

 

[Stellar]

The curled toes can unwind themselves. It's tough to fix them on cbbq. I don't really suggest putting him with anything larger than a coturnix chick so put a feather duster in the brooder or a stuffed animal for it to feel safe with. Loners do grow up quite nicely with TLC. Some just get lonely and ... but others do well. Hopefully the other one pops out. Wish you were near me. I have 75 that hatched today so I would give you a few buddies to keep yours happy.

 

[animal8]

I have a question about button quail as well. I was wondering if the hen would go broody if left with her eggs? And if so, would she incubate the eggs to full term and then raise the chicks? I was thinking about starting with a pair of button quail. Not really after the chicks, but it would be nice to know if there is a possibility.

Also, what kind of cage could I buy from pet shops that would be suitable to keep buttons in? I'm having a little trouble finding a glass tank that I can afford, all the ones I can find are near or over £100 and those are only 2'x1' so not very much space. An alternative cage might be easier for me to get a hold of. I am seriously considering button quail now that I managed to find a breeder, even if I do have to travel nearly 3 hrs to get there and they're smaller than Japanese quail so theoretically don't need as much space (though I know it's appreciated). I was considering getting 5 Japanese hens, but thought a pair of buttons might be a nicer start.

Anyone got any opinions on that?

 

[Stellar]

Button quail can get broody and incubate their own eggs. They can make good mothers, sometimes they will forget...it all depends on the bird itself and doesn't hurt to try.

If you can find a cage similar to the one www.brackenridgeranch.com

Jodi McDonald is the master of Cbbq, button quail so she can help you out as well.

 

[animal8]

Quote:
I had a look at her website, very informative

It was definitely worth having a bit of a read of. She mentioned that it would be suitable to use a rodent or bird cage for keeping buttons...that's good, because I know plenty of places I can find them

Is it necessary to mix in finch seed with their diet? Thanks for the website, Quail Lady

 

[Stellar]

Jodi, I, and many others are strong advocates that Gamebird starter is not enough from start to dispatch.

I provide for my cbbq and Coturnix (African Harlequins included...I love my quail), Bobwhites, Valley Quail the diet of:

Gamebird maintenance or starter
Oyster shell
Finch seed

You don't have to provide the finch seed but I have found much healthier birds with the above diet.

 

[animal8]

Quote:
Okay, thanks

I'll remember that. I like to provide a varied diet as well, so I'll have a look for some finch seed. I have another few questions as well. How ofter would a pair of buttons in a 2'x1' glass tank need cleaning out? If I do have a hen go broody, can I still clean in the cage, or would I scare her off her nest? If a hen hatches her own chicks, should I let her raise them, or separate them into a different pen? If I keep them with the parents, would it be recommended to provide a heat source?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions

 

[Stellar]

How ofter would a pair of buttons in a 2'x1' glass tank need cleaning out?

I clean cages weekly so it's really your call. Cbbq are not as smelly as other quail but they would have more ammonia buildup in a glass tank I would think?

If I do have a hen go broody, can I still clean in the cage, or would I scare her off her nest?

I would leave the tank be until she has her chicks. She may get scared if you clean the tank, it may cause her to be unbroody.

If a hen hatches her own chicks, should I let her raise them, or separate them into a different pen? If I keep them with the parents, would it be recommended to provide a heat source?

If the hen does her job, you shouldn't need an additional heat source. The chicks will go under mom for heat. It's an observational thing as every pair is different in caring for their young. Some do a wonderful job, as others don't. If you notice the parents not doing their part, you will need to take the babies and put them in their own enclosure with a heat source.

 

[animal8]

Quote:
Thanks Quail Lady

I was going to do weekly cleans, but I wasn't sure if they would need more regular cleaning or not. Would the hen get scared when I go in to do feed and water? I don't know if they would seeing as that causes less disturbance in the cage. If I don't clean for two weeks, could I put another layer of woodshavings down to keep thins fresh? Just thinking for when the hen is brooding...

 

[mygreenkitty]

I recently acquired a bunch of adult button quail and know next to nothing about them, so have been reading as much as I can on here. I kept 2 pair, and put each pair in a glass tank. (My mom got the rest)

Both females started laying eggs right away. Not knowing what to do with them, we decided to let them be and see what happens. My first gal layed about a dozen, and then started sitting on them. She couldn't cover them all at the same time, so I stole 4 eggs from her. ??? Well sure enough, on day 16 they started hatching. It was so neat to watch, she must have known which eggs started, because she would kick them to just outside of the nest to hatch. The proud daddy stood watch, and when a baby hatched, he took the shell and put it in a corner of the tank. He piled them all up over there!

In the end, she ended up with 5 babies.

I still had no idea what to do, so let them be. Well, over the next couple of days I kept finding dead ones. They looked squooshed.

Both parents were sitting on the babies. I wondered if I should have taken the babies away??? We now have 1 left that is growing like a weed. I don't have a clue what to do with him. I don't want him to be lonely. Both parents continue to take care of him, cute little family for now.

My second gal also layed some eggs. The male built a little nest in the corner (I have them on wood chips). She had layed the eggs all over the tank, and he gathered them up and put them in the nest. She did start sitting, but had way too many and they kept falling out of the nest. The male would get her off, fix the nest, and she would get back on. I did end up stealing a few eggs from her, too, so she had a small chance of covering them all. Interestingly, the male sometimes snuggled up to her and helped with the setting, but not all the time. He was constantly fussing with the nest, trying to fix it and get the eggs back in there. After a week and a half of this fiasco, they gave up, buried all the eggs, and never went back. It took her a week, but now she's laying eggs again, but they just bury them.

So that's my experience so far. It's very interesting, and I have lots more reading to do. (like, what on earth do people do with these when they hatch dozens at a time? eat them?) Any comments/suggestions from people with experience would be welcome. Just thought I'd share what I've observed so far.