Aussie Finch Forum

Regardless of which type you keep. Buttons or King, you will find some are gentlemen and some are nasty. Selective breeding will improve the personallity, hence my King cocks are gentlemen. As your ladies have been laying they are obviously fertile, but the failure of the cocks to sit and raise recently, would indicate that the cold weather or something has (hopefully had a tempory) effect on their fertility.
LML

Well.. they say that Aviculture is a lot of little wins and losses. The run of infertile eggs seems to be behind me, but, Like I said, Baby quail are just little walking accidents waiting to happen!! My young male hatched 2 chicks while I was away for the weekend last week. I didn't even realise he was sitting on the eggs until we found the chicks. I had seen the eggs but never veiwed either adult incubating. Anyway, 1 by 1 the chicks became lost in leaf litter and grasses, so I placed dad and the 2 chicks in a large, covered hospital cage in hte aviary to keep them all together. 1 chick lasted about 20 minutes before I find it gasping and cold on the floor. Put him under the light inside, but was dead 15 mins later. Other chick was going well til 5 days old. Was fine when I fed them at 7:00 am but 20 mins later was on his back squeeking and looking buggered! Warmed him up in my hands for a while and he looked good again so put him back with his dad. Looked again 2 mins later ... DEAD in 4 mm deep water dish! OH well, he is a new dad so will try again.
Dad No. 2 The old male was sitting on 3 eggs, hatched 1, 1 dead in shell, 1 empty. This little chick is so much stronger than the other lot hatched by the young male. Unlike the chicks from the young male, this one is constantly beside his dad and I can rely on him to do a good job of rearing.

Pulled out 3 eggs from the Red-Chested & 1 from the Black-Breasted today other 2 have dissapeaed, buried no doubt under the 300 tons of soil they move every day

Yes I always wanted Black breasted Buttons, but their "earthmoving" capabilities always put me off. My biggest aviaries are only 3x2m which I think may be 2 small for such busy quail. So I'll stick with me Littles. So much tidier Would love Painteds but dam theyr'e impossible to find over here in SA.

Not that common over here either, even though they're off lisence. I had them a few years back, took me nearly 2 years to find a mate for it, had 1 nest got three young, all hens, 2 pied. Lost the old hen, paired up e young hen with the old cock to no avail. He died 6 weeks later, & the hens slowly dropped off 1 by 1 over about 18 months.

dam shame that. I love seeing dad button 'bill feeding' the little chicks. He's a good dad. Hopefully the young male will smarten up next time and do abetter job. Is it possible to hand rear button chicks? Very fiddly I imagine

mr.fox wrote:1 chick lasted about 20 minutes before I find it gasping and cold on the floor. Put him under the light inside, but was dead 15 mins later.

Im having the same kind of thing with my King quail babies, hatched 4 now down to 2 and one was rolling around on the floor cheeping non stop this morning, distressing the parents, so I brought it inside and warmed it up seemed fine and now back out with the family......not looking forward to checking the aviaries tomorrow morning.

first time parent quails can be a terror. "2 strikes and you're out", with mine any aggressive or bad parenting that is repeated is met with removal from breeding. especially for the king quails who are so easily replaced.

mr.fox wrote:Is it possible to hand rear button chicks? Very fiddly I imagine

No they are easy,just a brooder or hospital cage kept at 37.5deg chicken mash and a coccidia treatment until about 3 weeks of age they raise themselves. and a very,very shallow water dish.

Black-Breasted need to take the food direct from the males beak for about the first week, & they will not feed unless he calls them to. I have heard of people incubating them, but the thought of haveing to hand feed with a pair of tweezers will initating the cock with a toy trumpet is a little much for me.