Button Quail Need Button-Quail Gear
If you're reading this because you just got button quail, or you're about to, there's a decent chance these are the only birds you keep. That changes what kind of advice is actually useful to you. You don't need a lecture about species compatibility or scaling down someone else's setup — you need a straight answer on what button quail actually require, from the ground up.
Quick Look
Button quail are tiny enough that equipment made for a bigger bird isn't just a poor fit — it's a real drowning, waste, and access hazard, not a minor inconvenience.
Housing should be simple but never sealed: wire-sided for airflow (not an aquarium or plastic tub), shavings for bedding, a sand area for dust bathing, and a low nest option like a coffee can.
They fly. Startle a button and it goes straight up, fast. Keep a catch net within reach any time the enclosure is open.
Button quail run a fast metabolism for their size. They need feed that's appropriate for that, and it should never run out.
The most common mistake I see from new button keepers isn't neglect - it's reasonable-sounding improvising: a chick waterer that's too deep, a feeder with ports sized for a bigger bird, a dish that was close enough.
Bryant's Roost carries button-appropriate waterers and feeders - sized and built for this bird specifically, not adapted from something made for something else.
If most of your experience with poultry equipment comes from chickens or bigger quail, assume none of it transfers directly to buttons until you've checked.
Most of You Don't Have Other Birds, So Let's Start Here
So here it is, starting from zero: button quail (Synoicus chinensis) are small, calm, ground-dwelling birds that do well in a simple, correctly-sized setup. The emphasis is on correctly-sized. These birds are small enough that gear built for anything else - a bigger bird, a different age class, whatever I had on hand - stops being a convenience and starts being a real problem.
Everything You Need to Get Your First Button Quail Off to a Great Start
Quick Look
Perfect for first-time button quail owners
Equipment sized specifically for tiny button quail chicks
Includes starter feed, feeder, waterer, and brooder plate
Comes with 12 button quail hatching eggs
Designed using the same products I use at Bryant's Roost
Packaged in EggFoam® to help protect your hatching eggs during shipping.
Getting Started Doesn't Have to Be Overwhelming
Free Shipping
If you've decided to hatch button quail, you've probably already discovered that finding the right equipment isn't always easy. Most poultry supplies are designed for chickens or even Coturnix quail, leaving new button quail owners wondering what will actually work for birds this tiny.
I put this starter kit together to eliminate that guesswork.
Instead of spending hours trying to figure out which feeder is small enough, whether your chicks can safely use a waterer, or what feed they should start on, you can begin with equipment that's designed specifically for button quail.
What's Included
Button Quail Feeder
Our button quail feeder is the perfect size for newly hatched chicks and comfortably feeds up to 10 birds. The low-profile design allows tiny chicks to reach their feed easily while helping reduce waste.
Gold Button Quail Chick Drinker
Button quail chicks are incredibly small, which means standard poultry waterers can become a safety hazard.
Your kit now includes one gold chick drinker designed and printed by Jennifer at Bryant’s Roost. Its shallow drinking channel is sized for tiny button quail chicks without adding marbles or rocks. Made from sturdy PETG plastic, it fits a regular-mouth mason jar (jar not included). Set it level, check that every chick can reach the water, and clean and refill it regularly.
Show Pro Button Quail Starter Feed
Button quail have incredibly fast metabolisms, so proper nutrition is critical from day one.
This is the same balanced starter feed I use for my own button quail at Bryant's Roost because I've been consistently pleased with chick growth, health, and overall performance.
Catch Net
Sooner or later, every button quail owner discovers just how fast these little birds can be.
And yes...at some point one will probably escape.
A lightweight catch net makes retrieving loose birds much easier and much less stressful for both you and your quail. Net colors vary and may include purple, blue, yellow, orange, or red.
Button Quail Hatching Eggs
Your kit includes 12 button quail hatching eggs from my breeding program, giving you everything you need to begin your own button quail adventure.
Brooder Plate
The included 10″ × 10″ brooder plate provides gentle, consistent warmth for newly hatched chicks and allows them to move in and out of the heat naturally as needed.
Why I Put This Kit Together
One thing I've learned over the years is that button quail aren't simply tiny Coturnix.
They're their own species with their own needs.
When I first started, I found myself modifying equipment that had been designed for larger birds. Eventually, I began using products that worked better for button quail, and that's exactly what you'll find in this starter kit.
My goal isn't just to sell supplies—it's to help you start with equipment that gives your chicks the best opportunity to thrive.
What's Included
✔ 1 Button Quail Feeder
✔ 1 Gold Button Quail Chick Drinker Base (regular-mouth mason jar not included)
✔ 1 Catch Net (random color)
✔ 1 Pound Show Pro Button Quail Starter Feed
✔ 12 Button Quail Hatching Eggs
✔ ThermoPro Thermometer
✔ 1 Brooder Plate (10″ × 10″)
PLUS FREE Shipping
Perfect For
First-time button quail owners
Families hatching button quail at home
Classroom incubation projects
Anyone who wants one convenient package instead of shopping for individual supplies
From Bryant's Roost
Every product in this kit has earned its place here by being useful on my own farm. These aren't random items bundled together—they're the same tools and feed I rely on when raising button quail. My hope is that they help make your first hatch a successful one and give you the confidence to enjoy these incredible little birds from day one.
Housing: Simple, Not Improvised
My button quail colonies live on shavings, with a sand area worked into the enclosure so they have somewhere to dust bathe. For nesting, I keep it plain - something low and simple, like a coffee can, gives them a spot that feels enclosed without needing a built nest box. This is not a species that rewards an elaborate setup. It rewards the right basics, done consistently.
The one housing rule I won't bend on is airflow. Button quail need wire, not an aquarium or a plastic tub. Glass and solid plastic hold moisture and ammonia from droppings right down at bird level, and a bird this small, living this close to the floor, breathes that air all day. Wire lets it move.
And yes, they fly. Button quail are ground birds, but when something startles them they launch straight up, fast, and they will be past you the second a door is open. Keep a catch net within reach before you open the enclosure for feeding, cleaning, or anything else. Chasing a loose button around a room by hand is not a plan.
The Part That Actually Matters: Feeders and Waterers
This is where I see people get into trouble, and it's rarely from not caring. It's from reasonable improvising. Someone has chick waterers left over from a different project, or a feeder that worked fine for a bigger bird, and the instinct is that it's close enough, I'll make it work. With button quail, that instinct is the problem.
Button quail are small enough that a waterer built for a bigger bird can be genuinely dangerous - too deep, with no shallow entry point, it's a drowning risk for a bird this size, not a theoretical one. A feeder with ports or openings sized for a larger bird either wastes feed everywhere or the birds can't get to it properly. A dish or trough height that works fine for something bigger can sit wrong for a bird built this low to the ground.
None of this is about buttons being fragile or difficult. It's about matching the equipment to the actual bird in front of you instead of assuming gear is interchangeable just because it's all technically poultry equipment.
Feed: Built for a Fast Metabolism
Button quail burn through energy fast for their size. A small body with a fast metabolism has very little in reserve, so feed matters more for this bird, not less, and an empty feeder is a bigger deal than it would be for something larger. They need a feed that's appropriate for that metabolism, available at all times, in a feeder they can actually reach and eat from. This is one more place where whatever you had on hand for a different bird isn't automatically the right answer.
Button quail chicks grow quickly and have a naturally high metabolism. They need a starter feed with small particles and a nutrient profile designed for their size—not a standard crumble made for larger poultry.
Bryant’s Roost Custom Button Quail Starter was developed with Show Pro Farm Supply after I couldn’t find a commercial feed that met the needs of my button quail. I tested this blend with my own birds for eight months before offering it to other keepers.
Why button quail keepers choose it:
• Optimized amino acid profile to support early growth
• Balanced fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals
• Fine mash texture that is easy for tiny beaks to eat
• Formulated to support feather development, energy, and vigor
I feed this starter to all of my button quail from hatch until laying age. At laying age, I transition them to Bryant’s Roost Custom Layer Feed.
12-pound bag. Free shipping included.
Button-Sized Waterers and Feeders
Bryant's Roost carries button-appropriate waterers and feeders - built for this bird specifically, not something borrowed from a different species and called close enough. Our drinker base fits a regular-mouth jar (jar not included), while the feeder is a separate box with a lid. Both are printed here at the farm in PETG, a tougher, more heat-tolerant plastic than standard PLA. The shallow drinker is sized for button chicks and Coturnix chicks without adding marbles or rocks. If you've been improvising with whatever you had, this is the point where I'd stop and switch over rather than keep making do.
Give your smallest chicks a waterer sized for them. This shallow drinker base is printed at Bryant’s Roost from PETG, a tougher, more heat-tolerant plastic than standard PLA. The drinking channel is designed for button and Coturnix chicks without adding marbles or rocks. Fits a regular-mouth jar. Jar is not included.
This listing is for one drinker base.
Set it on a level surface, check that each chick can reach the water, and clean and refill it regularly. As with any chick waterer, watch young birds closely during setup.
Practical Takeaways
Don't borrow equipment from a bigger bird and assume it'll work because it's roughly the right category. Check actual water depth and entry access, actual feeder port size, and actual dish height against the size of the bird you're keeping - not the size of bird the equipment was originally built for. House them in wire, not glass or plastic. Keep a catch net by the door. Keep appropriate feed in front of them at all times. Beyond that, housing can stay simple: shavings, a sand bath, a low nest option. Equipment is the one place I'd stop cutting corners.
Quick Look
12 fertile button quail hatching eggs
From my carefully selected Bryant's Roost breeding program
Excellent for beginners and experienced breeders alike
Carefully collected and packaged for shipping
Ships in protective EggFoam packaging
Packaged in EggFoam® to help protect your hatching eggs during shipping.Start Your Button Quail Adventure
There's something special about watching a tiny button quail chick emerge from an egg.
Whether this is your first hatch or you're adding new genetics to your flock, my goal is to provide healthy, fertile hatching eggs from birds I've carefully selected and enjoy raising on my own farm.
Every order includes 12 fertile button quail hatching eggs that are collected, stored, and packaged with hatchability in mind. While no breeder can guarantee hatch rates once eggs enter the shipping system, I do everything I can to give your hatch the best possible start.
Why Bryant's Roost?
Button quail have become one of my favorite species to raise. They're fascinating to watch, surprisingly entertaining, and require management that's very different from larger poultry.
My breeding program focuses on healthy, productive birds with strong vigor and excellent hatchability. Every breeding pen is managed with the same attention to detail I use throughout my farm because I believe quality begins long before an egg is ever shipped.
Carefully Packaged for Shipping
Hatching eggs are fragile, and proper packaging matters.
Your eggs are carefully packed using protective EggFoam packaging to help minimize movement during transit. While shipping always introduces variables outside my control, careful packaging gives your eggs the best opportunity to arrive safely.
What's Included
✔ 12 Fertile Button Quail Hatching Eggs
✔ Protective EggFoam Shipping Packaging
✔ Incubation Instructions
Perfect For
First-time button quail owners
Experienced breeders expanding their flock
Homeschool and classroom incubation projects
Anyone wanting to experience the joy of hatching button quail
From Bryant's Roost
I don't simply sell hatching eggs—I share the breeding program I've spent years building. Every shipment represents birds I'm proud to raise on my own farm, and I hope your hatch is just as enjoyable as mine continue to be. Thank you for trusting Bryant's Roost to be part of your button quail journey.
FAQ
Can I use a standard chick waterer for button quail?
Not safely, in most cases. Depth and lack of a shallow entry point are the main issues - what's a non-issue for a chick-sized bird of a different species can be a drowning risk for a button.
Do button quail need anything elaborate for housing?
No. Wire-sided housing for airflow, shavings, a sand area for dust bathing, and a simple low nest option is enough. Equipment and feed are where the real risk lives, not housing complexity.
Can I keep button quail in an aquarium or plastic tub?
No. They need airflow. Glass and solid plastic trap moisture and ammonia right at bird level. Use wire.
I already have button quail on adapted equipment and haven't had a problem - do I need to switch?
Not having had a problem yet isn't the same as the equipment being safe. I'd still switch to correctly-sized gear when you can.