Button quail egg please help !

[ESEMSIA]

So I got my quail a lady 2 days ago and they've been getting along so well ! Today morning I've noticed that in their little nest area there is an egg ! I'm not sure what to do about it. I've been trying to get a better look at it and they've been very protective of it. It's dark and looks good. I decided to leave it with the parents since I do not have an incubator. I live in Ireland and I'm not sure if the egg can hatch. I keep my quail inside in my room. Any information on what might happen now ???

 

[DK newbie]

I'm not entirely certain that 2 days is enough to fertilize the egg, but if she was with males where you got her from, there is a good chance it is fertile. She will most likely continue laying ~one egg a day, and if you leave the eggs in the cage, there is a chance that she will try to incubate them once she has 4-10 eggs.
Some buttons never show interest in incubating their eggs, but if they have good hiding places and are not stressed, many will. Incubation is supposed to take about 16 days, but don't toss the eggs just because it's day 20 and you still haven't seen any chicks - it took 21 days for one of mine, 18 for the other.
If she doesn't show interest in incubating her eggs, you will need to collect them every now and then. If they haven't been in there for too long, you can eat them. They are supposed to taste really good. I've never tasted the eggs from mine though - I usually leave them in the cage for about 10 days before collecting if there is no hen incubating them, and I find this a little too long for human consumption, even though they are probably good.
I have 3 hens and where as at least two of them do go broody, they don't do it every time they have 10 eggs, so sometimes I have piles of eggs in the cage I need to collect ^^
Make sure she has extra calcium - egg laying quail needs more calcium than what there is in most feed. You can boil her eggs, mash them up with shell and feed them back to her, if she doesn't incubate them. They usually love boiled eggs and the shells will get her at least some of the calcium she needs.

 

[ESEMSIA]

Yeah she's been with about 4 males... And how do I give her more calcium ? Special feed ?

 

[ESEMSIA]

Oh and how do I know she I'd incubating them ? How much time should I expect her to spend with them ?

 

[DK newbie]

I give mine crushed oyster shell (for chickens) in a separate bowl so the male doesn't have to eat it. Crushed calcium tablets for humans should work too, but I think that is very concentrated. I read somewhere that it can be used though, so I guess she'll just stop eating when she doesn't need more.
When a hen is incubating eggs, she rarely leaves the nest for more than 10 minutes at a time, she will spend most of the day on the eggs. And she will make a huge (as in egg sized) poop almost every time she leaves the nest.

 

[ESEMSIA]

Ok I think that is all the information I need for now thank you so much

 

[DK newbie]

You're very welcome ^^

 

[ESEMSIA]

I forgot to ask, should I give her extra light by any chance ? I think I read something about lighting being important for egg hatching

 

[DK newbie]

Vitamin D is important if she is to be able to make use of the calcium you give her. Mine get vitamin D from their feed (gamebird starter), but sunlight is another way to get it. If the sunlight passes a window before hitting the bird, it is next to useless with regards to vitamin D, though, the window filters the UV light out. Egg yolk and a few other things are rather high in vitamin D too.
When it comes to light in general, it is needed for the bird to lie eggs at all - they are supposed to stop lying eggs in the winter when the days are shorter, so too little light should cause them to stop. But as your hen is lying eggs, it seems she gets enough light. I have a light turned on by my birds from 10 AM to 7 PM every day, and in the morning there is natural light coming through a window.

 

[dc3085]

Not to be picky but we dont get vitamin D from the sun. Our body produces it when our skin is exposed to UV light. Similar for quail but most of their metabolic process are triggered by the light their eyes perceive.