Button quails are the perfect addition to any finch flight cage, or aviary. They are
small, around 4", attractive, and can become very tame. They are intelligent and
clean up all the spilt seed from the other birds. They need very little care and come to
breed quite easily. Feeding is simple, and they are not very noisy. They stay on the
ground almost all the time, and don't bother any other birds. They are very different from
finches, and their actions will keep you very entertained.
They do have a few bad habits though. One thing they do is fly straight up when scared.
This can lead to a lot of bald birds in cramped spaces. One way to prevent this, that
works very well for me, is to clip one wing of the birds so that when they try to fly,
they can't. An other bad habit they have is the males' aggression. Single pairs are fine,
but when more than one pair is present, the males will kill each other. It is all right to
keep a group of just males, or a group of just females if the opposite sex is not present,
but the males will still fight occasionally.
The females don't like to sit on eggs. They just lay the eggs where ever they may be. The
eggs can be collected and put in an incubator where they can easily be hatched and raised.
Chinese painted quails don't need very many fancy foods, and are very cheap to feed. If kept with other birds, they will get almost half their food off the floor. They can survive off of seed and water, and the occasional green, but they are much happier when fed other special feeds. Turkey, or gamebird pellets is the best thing for them. If this is not available, than growing mash for chickens will do. The feed should be broken up into beak sizes pieces so the birds can actually eat it. They should be fed meal worms occasionally, and any fruits or vegies are great also. They need grit because they don't husk the seeds they eat like finches do. They also need a constant supply of fresh water.
These tiny birds feel right at home in almost any cage or aviary. They like outdoor
aviaries the best but will also do fine in a canary cage. They will be enjoyed much more
if they have space. They will run around on the floor of the cage, searching for seeds,
and other valuables that they seem to find. They are always busy pecking at something, and
enjoy hiding in evergreen branches that I put on the floor for them to play in. They like
to hide in these, and if you shift them around weekly, they get to explore their home all
over again. The branches also give scared birds a place to hide when one approaches,
instead of flying straight up and hurting themselves. They like to bath like all birds,
but quails don't bath in water - they bath in sand and dust. They should be given a
container of sand in a well lit spot.
They will spent hours "playing" in their sand box. They seem to like to run
around the edges of the cage or aviary, so if it is outside, they should have gravel in
these areas. This keeps them from running in mud.
Button quails are not the best sitters under most conditions, but they will sit on
eggs if plenty of hiding places are provided, and they are left alone. The female sits on
the 4-8 eggs while the male stands guard. Both parents will raise the chicks, feeding them
turkey chick starter, as well as small seeds and greens. The occasional meal worm is also
appreciated. Marbles or pebbles should be put in the water trough to prevent the tiny
chicks from drowning. The chicks are no bigger than a thumb nail when they hatch, and have
a surprising amount of energy. They are very cute, and run around as happy as can be.
Hatching them in an incubator is very little trouble and extremely tame chicks will be
produced. I have one little quail now named Hoover (like the vacuum), who follows me
around the house and lawn, and climbs up onto my hand to get her neck scratched. Care of
the little babies is fairly easy -- compared to other families of birds. They hatch with
their eyes open and a layer of down on them, just like baby chickens. They can be raised
in a cardboard box with a 40 watt bulb held about 3 inches off of the ground.
They should have a towel for footings, and their food should be spread all over the floor
for the first weak or so, then jam jar lids should be used as feeders. They should be fed
game bird or turkey starter crumbs that can be purchased at feed stores, and even in pet
food stores-- ask at the front, and they will order you a bag. These crumbles should be
crushed up to a powder for the tiny birds. Grated lettuce is a good green food, and meal
worms can be added when the babies are large enough to eat them. At first the waterers
should have marbles in them so that the babies can get a drink from between them, and not
get wet. The marbles can be removed after the first week or so, but deep containers should
never be used, or the babies will drown. The light bulb can be removed once the babies are
fully feathered.
An other advantage to this charming little bird is the many color mutations they come
in. There are now literally dozens of colors being bred. These new colors are only
slightly more expensive than the originals, and some are very attractive. The most common
mutation is the silver. This changes all the colors to shades of light pastel gray.
There are many, many advantages to this attractive little quail. I believe that every one
that keeps birds should get a pair -- to clean up seed spills in the cage. They are very
little trouble and there "strange" activities will always keep you entertained.
Additional Book
Available by Leland B. Hayes,
The
Chinese Painted Quail, Button Quail: Their Breeding and Care