Button quail, also known as Chinese painted quail or King quail (Coturnix chinensis), are one of the smallest species of quail in the world. Native to Asia and Australia, these tiny birds reach only about 4 to 5 inches in length and weigh around 1.5 to 2 ounces. Despite their size, they are active and hardy, making them popular in aviaries where they stay close to the ground and help clean up fallen seed. Button quail are also kept as pets and for exhibition, with breeders selecting for various feather colors and patterns. They begin laying eggs as early as 6 to 8 weeks old and produce small, speckled eggs frequently.

Button eggs are small, about the size of a penny. Incubating is at 99.5F and 45% humidity. On day 14, remove the turner and increase the humidity to 65%. They will hatch on day 17. Leave them until dry and fluffy and all hatched before opening the incubator.

If you are new to incubating, do not mess with humidity, simply remove turner and leave them be.

Brooding button quail can be challenging due to their size and metabolism. The following are my suggestions to be successful.

Use a puppy pad inside a tote approximately 18”x24”.

Use a brooder plate, set one side almost all the way to the floor. The other side, set about 1.5” tall.

Scatter food liberally all over puppy pad.

Use an appropriate waterer with warmish water.

Leave a light on 24 hours for at least the first week.

Due to their delicate size, button quail require a fine crumble feed with high protein content—typically 24% to 28%—especially during the early stages of life. They benefit from a diet that includes game bird starter feed, small insects, and fresh green.

Buttons are ground dwellers, they will not roost. They like places to hide and will use a nest box. I use a coffee can with a hole cut int he side for a nest box, put the lid back on and have fine shavings in it. I also give a dust bath with peat moss.

I keep most in breeding pairs. I have one trio but they were raised together. I also have 2 colonies and all were raised together. Ratios have to be kept to prevent picking and fighting. There is no hard and fast rules to ratios so I recommend if they are fighting or picking, to pull aggressive males one at a time until harmony is reached.

The males make a wonderful cooing noise and I can whistle and they will answer me. The girls may chatter a bit but generally quiet. They do fly, high and far. I recommend a bird net handy to catch them as they will escape. They will let their feathers go if stressed, so do not be alarmed if you end up with a hand full of feathers.