Button Quail Nest

[jh81]

Like bumblebee’s! Unfortunatly the eggs didnt fully hatch and both young where dead when i looked the next morning also one of the hatchlings died. So they are left with 1 baby but boy does it make noise i have all kinds of food on the bottom so they can seek out what they prefer, seed, special chickenfood, insects, etc.

 

[Destiny]

Exciting news! I have baby button quail.

They hatched this morning in my aviary. Less than a day old and already pecking at food and wobbling around.





They are so tiny and precious. Much much smaller the baby chickens. Barely bigger than a quarter.



I hope they all grow up healthy and strong!

 

[Zara]

Oh wow! So adorable! Congrats Terra and Geo

 

[BananaBird]

They're adorable! I just hatched buttons a week ago, so I know how tiny they are! Are you good with colors? I have one that I'm curious about.

 

[Destiny]

I wish I could help, but this is my first time breeding button quail so I am pretty clueless on the colors. I know that I have got some silvers in this batch, but that is as far as my knowledge goes.

 

[BananaBird]

I wish I could help, but this is my first time breeding button quail so I am pretty clueless on the colors. I know that I have got some silvers in this batch, but that is as far as my knowledge goes.

oh ok. This was my first time too.

 

[Destiny]

Just a quick quail update. The babies are doing good.



Everybody is active - eating, drinking, pooping, and sleeping. No signs of distress or lethargy.

I was worried on the first day, because one of them was peeping quite a lot, but they have settled down and now appear comfortable.



This is their current set-up. Very shallow water containers to prevent drowning, food scattered everywhere so they can't possibly miss it and a light serving as a heat source on one side of the enclosure.

I used a thermometer to guage the correct temperature is being reached under the light, and then watch how the babies act to determine if they are actually too hot or too cold. They sleep under the light but move freely around the brooder without any issues when looking for food or water. They are not clustering under the light (too cold) or avoiding the light (too hot). And they are not peeping a lot or too loudly, just soft little happy peeps.



Quail chicks are notoriously fragile, so I am a little nervous. But I have raised baby chickens many times and also chukar partridges, so I do have some experience.

The first few days tend to be the hardest, since the babies are learning so much and figuring out how to eat/drink/walk.

 

[Destiny]

It is amazing how quickly little chicks grow.



Look! Not even a week old and they are already losing their fluff and starting to grow wing feathers.



I better get ready. They are going to need a bigger setup soon.

 

[Destiny]

Baby quail update:



Check out this feather growth. Lots of little pins.



I've got at least three different colors - three light, two medium, and one dark chick. I am excited to see what they will look like when they feather out.

 

[Zara]

Looking good! So exciting

 

[BirdG1rl]

Oh my goodness, what sweet, adorable, tiny little things! They are just PRECIOUS!

 

[MR. Mango]

Aww so cute have terra and gel seen them yet, I have no experience with quails so just curious but why do you keep the chicks separate from the parents any reason or just that it would be too crowded for the parents in the tank?

 

[Destiny]

Aww so cute have terra and gel seen them yet, I have no experience with quails so just curious but why do you keep the chicks separate from the parents any reason or just that it would be too crowded for the parents in the tank?

My original plan was to keep the babies in the aviary with their parents and let Terra raise them. However, things didn't work out as planned. Terra did a great job sitting on the eggs, but after they hatched, she wasn't caring for the babies.

I was very lucky that I went to check on the nest when I did, because when I arrived all the newly-hatched babies were scattered on the ground around the nest, not moving. They looked dead. The parents needs to keep the chicks warm since they lack feathers and can't thermo-regulate. Unfortunately, both Terra and Geo were ignoring the babies and if I had not come in when I did, they would have all died from the cold.

As soon as I realized they were actually still alive, I moved the babies under a heat lamp to warm up. Within a few minutes, they were on their feet and moving around again. Since I couldn't leave them in the aviary with Terra and Geo, I moved the babies into a brooder where I could provide a controlled environment with a reliable heat source. I did considered bringing the parents inside with the babies, but it wasn't really necessary and would just add additional complications, should the adults become stressed from confinement, attack the babies, or escape from the brooder.

I will be finding new homes for the babies when they are ready, so they won't be going back to the aviary unless my plans change.

 

[Destiny]

And now for more baby pictures:



It has been one week since they hatched.



Their pin feathers are starting to open up and they are getting better and better at jumping when I pick them up to clean the brooder.

 

[Destiny]

Time to move the babies into a larger brooder. They are still tiny, but very active and could use more space to move around.



Also time for larger waterers and food dishes.



Now that they are a little older, the threat of drowning is less severe so a larger dish will make it easier to keep them hydrated. Frequent water changes are still necessary because they foul the water regularly.



More feathers coming in and you can start to see their color changing from baby fluff to juvenile feathering. Interestingly, even the lightest chicks have some dark feathers on their back. They won't be solid white.



I wonder if any of them will be beige like Terra?

 

[Zara]

Love them all. Will you be keeping them all?

 

[Destiny]

Probably not. They would need to have their own enclosures, apart from Terra and Geo. Button quail are far too small to free-range with my chickens and I don't have any place to keep them that would be as safe as the aviary. From what I've read, buttons do better in pairs, rather than groups, so I don't think it would be a good idea to try keeping them all together in the aviary.

I plan on finding them new homes and then not letting Terra sit on eggs again. I was lucky to find the babies in time. Wouldn't want to risk it happening it again.

 

[Destiny]

This picture cracks me up.



Looooooong stretch!

 

[Destiny]

Baby quail picture update:



Look at all those feathers. The babies now have full feathers on their wings and tail. They are still fuzzy on their head and back.



Now I can kind of see what they will look like when they are older.

 

[BirdG1rl]

Aww! That one in the last pic is just adorable!