Gouramiguy17

ok well i doubt that i will get another tank for christmas but for the past 2 years i have been wanting some button quail. on craigslist,there are people that will sell fertilized button eggs but they refuse to sell the adults. i was thinking get an incubator for christmas then when the weather warms up some i can pick up some eggs then i can raise them from there. i have one incubator in mind: http://www.amazon.com/NEW-Brinsea-Ec.../dp/B002GUCQYU

TedsTank

Hi Gourami!!

It's fun raising quails and ornamental pheasants. I did that year's ago. We raised 6 different kinds of ornamental pheasants and Mandarin Ducks (the most beautiful ducks)

The incubator you are looking at is good, but a bit small.... just like with Tropical Fish, it can get addicting and you may wish to raise other species too.

Scroll down the page of your web-site and look at Double R Supply, the "Hova-bator". They have larger incubators for much less money. Those types just work fine!! and can hold many more eggs. With either model, you will have to turn the eggs yourself...at least twice a day....easy enough just pencil mark one side of each egg. They are made of styro foam and will last years.

Gouramiguy17

ya i was looking at those but i didnt know how good they worked, i dont know what to get

TedsTank

If you only ever want to raise some button quails...check in your area in the spring and buy some chicks.....ask at the farmers supply stores, I think they are available. There are many quail and pheasant breeders out your way.

On the hova-bators there is a disk shaped thermostat hooked to a heating element under the lid. There are probably rings in the bottom section to add water to, for humidity....and a screen to hold the eggs up. It is very simple to use and they do work.

Sounds to me like maybe you ought to do some digging around, and find a couple of breeders and just get some chicks or a pair or 2 of adults..or even a male and 2 females.

Gouramiguy17

In my area people raise turkey chicken and Cornish gayn hen

gremlin

I'm surprised that you can't find someone to sell you the birds. I have button quail, including an extra male and couple of females - hint hint hint. But really, my original pair I bought at Pratt's Feed & Seed. It is a local pet/supply store (there are only two of them in existence) that sells chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, goats, pigs, pheasants, peafowl, button quail, other types of quail, finches, canaries, budgies, lovebirds, cockatiels, various turtles, frogs/toads, rats, mice, gerbils, ferrets, rabbits, . . . Basically, any type of small animal that they can fit in (or behind) their store, they sell. You may need to try finding a "farm supply" type store as opposed to a regular pet store. I would recommend getting a pair of adults. With eggs (or even chicks) you won't know for sure what sex you have. The males can (and sometimes do) fight to the death. I would suggest one male and one female to start. They can be tamed (even as adults). They love mealworms. I don't spend a whole lot of time with mine, but they will still come and take mealworms from my fingers. Also, if you want to breed them, make sure you have a second cage to move any young males into. The Daddy may start picking on any of the chicks that are males even before you can tell for sure which are boys and which are girls. You will need to be able to separate them. I have a couple of smaller cages that I can (and have) used for this in the past. But they sure are cute little buggers!

Gouramiguy17

The reason I want eggs is so the birds will become more tame than farm raised birds and the only quail people sell around here are bob whites and courtixs(?)

gremlin

Ah. Although, if you work with them every day, they tame down quite nicely, even if not raised from an egg. It would depend on how sure you want to be about male/female. Bob Whites and Courtixs are both larger than the buttons.

Gouramiguy17

Ya, that is why I want to the button quail, my neighborhood will allow them because they are so small and they sound like regular birds, not chickens

gremlin

Good louck finding them! Let me know how it goes. I've always let Momma and Poppa raise the baby quail, so I'm not sure how they will do in an incubator. I do know that the Momma and Daddy will hold food and "call" the babies so that they learn what to eat. The babies hatch covered with fuzz and up running around within the hour. Once they learn what to eat, you can leave a dish of food and water in with them all the time, so you aren't tied to a feeding schedule. Mine don't like to get wet, but they do love to take dust baths. They will hollow out a "wallow" in the dust/dirt and lay on their sides with their wings up in the air to absorb every bit of sun shine they can.

Gouramiguy17

I am sort of worried about the coyotes behind my house, I'm sure they would make a good snack for one. How far do coyotes dig until they give up?