What should I raise, Buttons or Cortunix ?

[kelseygirl707]

So I just hatched Some button quail babies as I Can't have chickens where I live but wanted to be able to trade hatching eggs as well as hatch eggs from my own stock, so I thought Buttons would be perfect. Now I'm reading that Cortunix are so much friendlier, and less skittish than buttons. Should I sell the button babies I have, and invest in some Cortunix Eggs? I had planned to use a XL dog crate as a pen, you know the Mastiff size crate, I am going to dress it up, make it homey with some silk plants and Hiding logs. I had hoped to have 1 roo and maybe 3-5 hens. What do you think?

 

[shelleyd2008]

The coturnix aren't really loveable kind of friendly, so I would say go with whichever you prefer. You can handle coturnix better than buttons, but if you handle the buttons a lot, you can get them to where you can handle them easily.

Buttons normally 'pair-up' in the wild, so what you are wanting would be more appropriate for coturnix. I believe the most females per male in buttons is 2 or 3, though not sure. I'm a bit male-heavy on mine right now

 

[kelseygirl707]

Thanks Shelley!

So if I wanted to have lets say 4 female buttons and 2 male buttons would I need to seperate them into two cages, or will the males get along, as long as they each get a hen or two?

 

[NancyDz]

I had buttons and got rid of them, coturnix are much easier to handle. It would be tough to catch your buttons in a kennel like you describe , mine were tough to grab in a 24"x24" cage. Also like Shelley said, they like to pair off... coturnix you could have one male and a few females and everyone would be happy. The eggs are a little bigger too if you want to eat them.


Nancy

 

[Bettacreek]

Get both! Really, seriously, get both... I started with buttons, then got the coturnix, and as much as the flighty bullcrap drives me insane, I still love my buttons. The coturnix are nuts, they are nasty when you get into the cage, or stick your nose close to the cage, but if they get out, they basically plop down and wait for you to pick them up. However, once I DO pick them up, most of them will try to "puke" and will scratch the dickens out of you. The only birds that I can really cuddle with would be my Vulture Bird (cochin banty) and my little cochin/silkie mix (speaking of which, I NEED to give this bug a name!)

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
It would really depend on the birds. I have 2 pens of buttons, one has 3 females and 4 males, the other has 3 females and 5 males. The males don't fight, but I feel very sorry for the girls!! If they have enough room, they'd probably be fine. Mine were almost all hatched from the same batch as well, so they have been together their whole lives.

 

[NancyDz]

It is interesting how they vary, my coturnix are very docile, let me pick them up, they struggle a little but settle right down once I have them. Also they run up to my hands when I put water/ food or pour sand in their sandbox, some even stay in there while I'm pouring sand in... I have to push them over to see if they are hiding an egg. They also talk to me when i'm coming near them with the food. I would consider putting a hardware wire bottom in the dog kennel with some kind of tray under it as you'll be cleaning it ALOT! Both types are poop machines!

 

[kelseygirl707]

Lol, I wish I could have both, But I live on-site at a buisness, where we have a small 2 Bedroom house and no yard, so I think I can only stick to one breed of quail right now. The owner of this place only thinks we have a dog, he doesn't know we have a dog, a cockatiel, 4 chicks in a brooder, 11 Button Chicks in a brooder, and 25 chicken eggs in the bator along with 10 more button eggs, LOL. I don't think he'd care, as long as money is deposited into the bank, he leaves me alone an lets me manage this place as if it were my own.

Anyway, I guess I will stick with Buttons, I know there is a good market around here for when I am able to hatch my own babies. I put a tester ad on craigslist and had several responses of people wanting to buy anywhere from 2 to 40.

So is a 4ft by 2ft crate too big, I have a devider sould I make it into two 2X2 pens?

Thanks Guys!

 

[kelseygirl707]

Quote:
Thanks Nancy, It has a removable tray, but your right, I will definatley put a harware cloth bottom in. I also have plans to had a Boink proof Roof for them. I may also need some sort of Plexy-Glass barriers to keep the mess inside, it's a wire kennel, so I can imagine food, poop and bedding everywhere!

 

[Bettacreek]

Honestly, in a larger cage, if you cover half of it, I haven't found a need for a boink-proof roof. The smaller cage with my pair though, they definately boink.