Broody Gamebirds

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sweetshoplady

sweetshoplady

Songster
11 Years
Feb 4, 2008
1,602
9
181
Venice, Florida
Which gamebirds tend to go broody? Any? Is it an individual hen thing? Do you need to leave their eggs in there for it to happen?

I know that my pheasants were not impressed when I left a plastic egg in place of the ones I removed. Within 5 minutes of my leaving it there, the silver roo had rolled it out of her nest and to the front of their cage. I thought it was quite comical.
gig.gif
He did the same thing with the golf ball I put in there.
 
I've got two button quail pairs that brooded their own chicks. Both parents are actively participating in raising the babies, and both sets of parents came out of a colony with no parenting examples. I can't get my Coturnix to brood for anything.
-Spooky
 
Quote:
Natural broodiness seems to be a trait that has been bred out of captive galliformes for the sake of more egg production. In the wild, a galliforme will not begin to set until an entire clutch is produced. In captivity, people snatch up the eggs as it is layed and the bird continues to produce eggs (double clutch or even triple clutch) to make up the lost clutch.

If you want to natural rear your birds, leave the clutches intact where they are. The temptation is great to pull the eggs, but will ruin your chances of a natural incubation and rearing (which is awesome to witness. Many male pheasants will participate in the rearing of the chicks). I've never had a pheasant be fooled into incubating a false egg, so leave the real ones in place as they are layed.

A natural, well covered nesting site will also intice your birds to brood their own. Limit disruptions in the aviary while she is broody. Simulate as much of a "wild" envrionment as possible for best results.

Silvers are great natural parents, I even have had males go broody!!

Dan
 

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