Getting Little Button Quail in the breeding mood

15 Jan 2013, 09:33

Has anyone got any ideas on how to encourage LBQ to breed?
It's been several months now since I got my female LBQ, and the pair have grown apparently close. They stick together, and often snuggle in the sun in the little mound of termite dirt I put on the floor for them.
They have plenty of cover, and a big pile of grass in the back corner of the aviary, which I try and stay away from as much as possible.
My big goal this year is to breed them, so any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

15 Jan 2013, 19:00

Livefood, Livefood, Livefood. Although they require less than other BQ's, & will breed without additional livefood, they will breed more readily, & raise more chicks than without. Doesn't matter what live food, but mine get Termites, & mealworms as well as any crickets & moths that escape from the softbills, they aslo hoed into maggots when I offered them. If you can't add livefood, softfood is the next best thing, hard boiled eggs put through the small side off a cheese grater so the white comes out looking like little maggots mixed with Egg & Biscuit, 1 egg to about 6 heaped teaspoons of E & B, with some sprouted seed thown in, this lasts me a day for all of my BBBQ's (about 12) RCBQ's (4) & my last cock Stubble & King Quail (also feeds my 9 or so Wrens, 3 Wood Swallows & 3 Silvereyes). Hope this helps. Pete

P.S. Did I mention LIVEFOOD

15 Jan 2013, 20:12

I think he's trying to tell me something.....

So, live food then! I'll make sure they get more from now on. They do get termites daily, but I suspect the painteds have found the supply...
Thanks for the recipe

I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes!
So basically, it would last me about a month!

15 Jan 2013, 22:12

Brief separation can also help - 2-3 weeks out of each others sight will often fire up the hen when she is put back in the cocks cage.

16 Jan 2013, 19:19

awesome

thanks!

17 Jan 2013, 12:44

Everything VR says is correct Jay. Depending on the temperement of your LBQ pair, I believe that providing enough cover is also crucial. I found that some pairs just never seemed to show any interest in breeding. Same old story..Habitat, diet and compatible partner.
Interestingly, this season I have only bred 4 youngsters from 2 pair. Compared to about 2 dozen the previous season. Here in SA we had a very dry finish to spring.
Keep trying. If you don't have any success it may be worth trying again with young pairs.

17 Jan 2013, 19:42

Thanks mr.fox,
What do you use for cover? Mine have a couple of grass tussocks, a big ball of dry grass in the shelter, and a few other mats of dry grass in the flight. When I do my next major clean out before winter, I'll be putting in some more live grasses/logs etc.
it's been pretty dry here too, perhaps that's also a factor.
I was thinking of finding another cockbird to make a trio, and see what happens (perhaps she doesn't like the current him, he's a bit psycho!). Good/terrible idea?

Thanks

28 Jan 2013, 12:47

Plenty of dry grass clumps s great. Remember they come from some pretty dry, well grassed country. I like to provide plenty of dry gumleaf litter too. Logs, grass clumps, live Guinea grass, leaf litter...all good. Not too much clutter though, makes it too hard to keep clean.
Regarding compatibility, I always go by the motto; you need 3 pairs to get 1 good one. by all means, try a new male or female. When you have success, don't be in too great a hurry to sell the youngsters, keep some back for yourself and begin your own bloodline. Young birds that you have bred yourself are far better breeders, being acclimatised to your conditions and methods.
PS. Mine still not showing any interest in nesting. I will take a young pair to my mum's this afternoon and see if she can work her magic with them again. Last year she bred the majority of our LBQ

Her avairy is 3x5m Planted, leaf litter, full roofed.

28 Jan 2013, 14:54

Thanks Mr. fox

How do you clean an aviary with leaf litter floor? Having a sand base already, adding leaf litter would probably look great

but cleaning would be a problem.
Keeping youngsters might be a problem, I'm only allowed one aviary, and keeping the hen in a cage for a long period if she proves aggressive isn't a very attractive prospect.
My aviary is 3 x 2.3m. It might be a little small for them, but I try to keep out of their way as much as possible

What was she feeding them?
Thanks!

30 Jan 2013, 16:18

Jay, 3x2.3m sounds ok to me. I can only comment on works for me. My Little buttons are in 2x2.4 and 3.6x1.2 flights, full roofed, sand floors mostly covered lightly with gumleaf litter and several clumps of both live Guinea grass, cyperus and large dry grass clumps (I don't seem to be able to grow much in the way of live grasses in these covered aviaries). I find that the more cover the better or they are just too flighty. Not having to enter past the first metre of the aviary also helps. Remember they are a prey species and will behave as such. The quail are just fed their softfood from small, flat dishes at the front of the flight and generally most mornings I just scatter a small handful of finch seed on the bare sand for them. the other aviary occupants( Neophemas & finches) are fed using large, deep kitty litter type trays attatched to the side wall, so waste seed doesn't seem to foul the floors too much. I add to the leaf litter throughout the year, cleaning out the worst of it as I go. I keep mine as single pairs, never tried trios.
My mum keeps hers in a 3x5m avairy planted with all the same plant species as mine also with leaflitter floors. They get the same softfood as her finches, Mashed hardboiled eggs, grated carrot,bread crumbs, Passwell egg&bisc mix and Passwell Liquid GOld calcium sup, all mixed in the blender. Mealworms are fed when available, especially when the chicks have hatched. I feel that she has had better results with Little buttons in her aviary because the extra size allows the breeding birds to find more secluded nest sites and generally have more privacy.