My quail seem to want to hatch their eggs! I think!

[crimsonmama]

It's so weird as Coturnix Quail are supposed to be hard to get to brood but my first female hatched her eggs and now the offspring that I incubated seem interested in their eggs too and I feel bad taking the eggs away daily... And the kids are begging me to see if they would hatch their eggs. But it was so hard with the males fighting and having to separate them all and find homes! I would love to hatch more quail but it doesn't seem fair. I couldn't bring myself to kill males although if I knew a butcher who would of be ok with that....

But anyhow... Back to my females. Outside a find a cluster of eggs laid in the hay (so several females laying in one spot) whereas one or two just lay them randomly on the ground. One of my females sits on the eggs and doesn't want to move until the last minute when I put my hand in, like she's protecting them. This makes me wonder if I left the eggs would she get broody.
My indoor quails... Two females with one male... Lay their eggs together in a box of hay and the smallest one sings to the eggs and seems more interested in them than the other female. She seems sad when I take the eggs away.
My daughter suggested we give her dummy eggs with just a few viable ones so we don't get too many hatchlings to find homes for. But again. There are lots of interest in females but no interest in males around near me.

 

[purslanegarden]

Since you don't want to hatch anymore, you can leave a few to the quail to hatch to see if they'll do it. Take the rest in to eat or sell.

As for the actual birds, if you are able to get plenty of eggs for your incubator along with any that the quail are hatching themselves, it's worth it to investigate if you can get into butchering and eating them. It's a meat source that can supplement what you buy from the grocery stores.

 

[Binki]

Awww hehe ! Yes the male issue is the biggest problem... I soooo wish you could control sex of eggs with temperature like with some reptiles!!

I have a Neighbour who is interested in eating quail (he practically drools lol) and he can butcher them, I may ask him if he wants my male quails if I hatch again if he can humanely kill them sigh!