If you have the space in your home and the resources to build it, an even bigger pen than this is fine. Keep the stove off, the fireplace well protected, and curling irons or other hot appliances off at all times when your Button is out of its cage. Pet-Cal comes in a tablet and has to be crushed up as well, but it also contains a few other useful nutrients, such as phosphorous and vitamin D (which is absolutely essential for your hen to be able to absorb the calcium itself into her system).

Don't use anything airtight, as I have had eggs go moldy when kept in Tupperware. If your hen does not have an extra source of calcium in her diet, every shell she produces will draw essential calcium from her system, progressively weakening her bones and muscles, even to the point where she will not be able to support her own weight! Allow her to keep her eggs for 16 to 20 days, which is the normal incubation period. Don't feed indoor quails any outdoor bugs. First of all, what is a Button Quail? Thank you, Robin Hilll. If you hope to encourage them to breed, I always recommend at least 4 square feet of floor space for a pair, because they run about so much, anything less will seem confining to them, and may lead to them picking on one another. This means that floor space is key but vertical space is not (except for the "boink" factor, which I will talk about later). Because of their reliance on their nails, you need to take them to a professional to have their nails trimmed. This will help keep it from becoming contaminated from the bedding and feces on the floor. There are many avian health concerns that wouldn't occur to us without some access to specialized information, so I've collected links to several sites devoted to Keeping Your Birds Healthy. Large tubby base offers room for... 2 large entry doors - one on top and one on the side. Buy a piece of fine mesh nylon netting (very inexpensive at fabric stores) about 4" longer and 4" wider than your quail's home. They can learn how to use the tools and enjoy the puzzle of actually operating them. You may be able to entice a qual to you if you speak softly to it. A clutch will consist of 8 - 12 eggs. Button doesn't understand that our feet are dangerous to them, so get into the habit of always knowing where your quail is before taking a step (or rolling your desk chair). Males average four to five years (again, depending on care and nutrition), but I have heard of at least a few male buttons who lived to be as old as nine! Mealworms are a perennial favorite, but you can also serve up some crickets and fly larvae (yes, maggots). Buttons like to taste everything they encounter, so the danger of having poisons about is obvious. You know your button quail are healthy if they’re alert, sociable, active, and they’re eating and drinking throughout the day. I have 2 incubators and both have done very well.

However, it isn’t always recommended that you house different kinds of birds together. Traditional bird cages are an option, as long as the floor space is sufficient (minimum of four square feet for one or two) and the inner top of the cage is padded to protect against the "Boink Factor" (see below). Keep your other pets away from your Quail.

A good vitamin supplement is also very important, for those nutrients that they would get in nature, but are often lacking in a caged environment. Finally, you’ll want to socialize your quail. quails.

Egg shells are composed largely of calcium. 6. That being said, they can merge quite well with your chickens if you have female quail. Here’s everything you need to know about Button Quail.

It must be soothing to the feather follicles, and quails seem to love it. The rest of this page is devoted to information I have Button quail can fly. Of course, if you work from eight till five as I do, this practice will seriously cut into your quality quail time. Socializing should occur daily. 3. Keep the door to the basement closed, as well as the doors to any closets that might be unsafe. Before you do, please read the following "Ten Commandments for Button Safety" and avoid potential hazards that could endanger your birds... At Last! You can provide that stimulation by providing foraging tools. I use a brand called Green Tree currently. More Safe Birdkeeping Tips.

The one in the back is made from an old coffee table, turned upside down, with fiberglass window screening staple-gunned inside the legs of the table.

My hen Bunny also likes cooked beans (i.e., black or kidney), believe it or not, and these are a great source of protein too. These have about a 25% to 28% protein content and can be used as your hen's sole diet if you choose. Being off of the floor can also keep them secure and safe from any unwanted predators looking to either eat the quail or its eggs. Buttons don't use string or dirt or feathers, because they can't weave or build like many flying birds do. Housing and equipment . No matter how harmless you think Fluffy or Fido might be, you never know when they suddenly might think Button looks like a tasty treat. The other birds that we call "buttonquails" are of the order Gruiformes, family turnicidae. You can keep multiple female chickens with a male quail. I will now be able to raise them successfully thank to this website!

Like chickens, button quail can lay one egg a day every day, for almost her entire life. happy quail family! Many people keep button quails in the bottom of their aviary, for variety as well as to help clean up spilled seed. To ensure your button quail’s feathers are healthy, it’s a good idea to groom them. Designed to home a wide variety of small animals.