Button Quail
Chinese Painted Quail (Excalfactria Chinensis)
Description: There are various mutations of Painetd Quail but in the normal form males have a brown back with dark streaks and highlights. They are Blue-grey on the neck, coverts and flanks with a Chestnutt belly and under rump. The face is white outlined in black. Normal type hens are brown with dark streaking and highlights with no additional coloring. Both sexes have long slender black beaks which curve downward and red-orange tarsus (legs).
Size: These Quail are the smallest of the Quail at 5 inches (12.5cm).
Origin: Painted Quail are distributed in Southeast Asia, India to Southeast China with domestic breeds over much of the U.S.
Mutations/Sub-species: Chinese Painted Quail are often confused with Button Quail (Turnix Suscitator) although they are seperate species. Button Quail (Hemipodes) are actually more closely related to Pigeons and are not related to Painted Quail. Painted Quail come in various mutations including: Pied (Splash), Silver, Cinnamon, White, Red Breasted, Blue-Face, Pink-Eyed Dilute and Golden Pearl. Many of these mutations can be combined to form futher color varities such as Smokey (Silver x Cinnamon x Blue-Face). Garrie Landry has a great site which has photos of many various Painted Quail mutations.
Click the button below to go to Garrie Landry's Painted Quail Page.
Diet: While most bird keepers use these birds to "clean up" the seed other birds drop they do best if supplied thier own source of Quail (gamebird) pellets along with mixed millets, canary seeds, green foods and grit. Fresh water and all feed should be supplied on the cage bottom at all times and changed frequently as it tends to soil quickly.
General Care: These birds are fairly low maintnece but should not be housed in damp areas. This species can frighten quickly (flying upward up hitting whatever might be in the way) and they lose plumage very easily so be careful when handling them.
Compatibility: Chinese Painted Quail are peaceful towards all other bird species. Males can become aggressive if paired with single hens so it is best to pair them in a one male to two female ratio. The true Button Quail species is the opposite and does best in a small group with a one female to four male ratio as it is the hen in this species that is aggressive.
Housing: While Painted Quail can be successfully maintained in bare aviaries or flight cages, we get best breeding results by housing them in a planted aviary with access to the ground. A few low perches can be provided but high perches are not nessacary as these Quail spend most of thier time on the aviary bottom. The aviary dose not require a lot of heat in winter but it should stay above freezing and not remain damp. We house a trio of Painted Quail in most our colony breeding flights.
Song: Male Painted Quail have a delightful crowing sound and the female has a purring sound which is used to attract the males. Click the button below to hear a female Button Quail.
Breeding: Painted Quail shoud be incouraged to incubate and raise their own young. However, most domestic breeds are reluctant to do so. I have had a few hens that will sit thier own eggs if provided a secluded nest area. Chinese Painted Quail lay a average clutch of 6-12 eggs but in most cases will lay them where ever they happen to be standing at the time. If the hen refuses to sit we place the eggs in an incubator with a set temperature of 100-102 F (38-39 C) with humidity set at 50%. The baby chicks usually hatch out after 16-18 days of incubation. Young Painted Quail are very small and you must be sure that the brooder surface or wire is not large enough for them to fall through or get stuck. 1/2 inch mesh wire would be too large so to avoid them falling through you could place newspaper or a solid surface on the brooder bottom.
Price: When available, we sell normal Chinese Painted Quail for $20.00 a pair. Mutations are slighty higher.
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Mutation
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Price Each
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Price Per Pair
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Normal (Wild Type)
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$12.50 Each
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$20.00 Pair
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White
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$17.50 Each
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$30.00 Pair
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Silver
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$17.50 Each
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$30.00 Pair
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