Waiting patiently

mike1501

In the Brooder
Oct 8, 2016
39
1
14
Day 17 and waiting patiently for the eggs to hatch. Very excited cause the mum has been so good and almost never leaves her nest of 8 eggs.
 
Does the mother leave the nest when the eggs are about to hatch or does she normally stay put?
 
One of mine just hatched 6 chicks from 6 eggs - I'm so proud of her! The last couple of days I didn't see her leaving the nest at all - and when the chicks hatched, the first sign I saw of it, was daddy sitting in the nest beside her. I'm proud of him as well :) I have a roo that doesn't seem to get that he's supposed to take part in rearing the chicks, but 3 of my 4 roos get it.
 
that's great - are your fatherly roosters all the same breed? I know silkie dads sometimes help keep eggs warm or guard babies while mom takes a break.
 
The roo has had no involvement at all from the start. Mum has been doing all the work.
 
DK. How many days were the eggs incubating for before they hatched? And what type of quails do you have?
 
that's great - are your fatherly roosters all the same breed? I know silkie dads sometimes help keep eggs warm or guard babies while mom takes a break.
This is the quail section ^^ They are button quail and, from what is known about them, both parents take part in rearing the young in the wild.
The roo has had no involvement at all from the start. Mum has been doing all the work.
My roos don't even go near the nest until the chicks hatch - no worries! Or, well, on second thought, I would worry if I were you - I remember you telling you have 2 roos in the aviary. I have no clue how that's going to work out when you get chicks. And one more worry - you might experience that the other hen that has eggs due to hatch next week, leaves her nest to help caring for the first chicks that hatch. It's great for the first chicks to have more mums, but you might loose the second clutch. Also, I have experienced not-broody hens pecking at the chicks. So if I were you, I'd watch them very, VERY carefully for the first several days, and be ready to step in.

DK. How many days were the eggs incubating for before they hatched? And what type of quails do you have?
Button quail just like you, mom spent the night on the nest for the first time on Oct. 3rd and had chicks on the 21st. Counting the 4th as day 1, I make that 18 days. Perhaps only 17, they were dry on the morning of the 21st (though they hadn't left the nest yet) so they could have hatched late the day before.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom