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Natural Hatch—Butter Brickle Does it Again!
Partitioned the aviary and popped mom and babies into their own section to avoid violence from mature birds. It's hot enough here that the chicks can spend a lot of time out from under Brickle. Just a few minutes ago she was teaching them how to eat and drink. The secluded side: Babies went... -
Natural Hatch—Butter Brickle Does it Again!
Thank you! Re: males, I've tried roosters three times (over three years), always as a 1M:5F or greater sex ratio, and every time they go monogamous, with the roo pairing off with his favored hen and the pair beating up on all the single ladies. It seems to always lead to a bald and bleeding (but... -
Natural Hatch—Butter Brickle Does it Again!
It's important to me that folks know Coturnix quail are actually quite given to brooding under the right conditions. I only have six quail in my little flock this year, being six hens all naturally hatched, all from eggs originating from different breeders. Butter Brickle went broody again in... -
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Coturnix Quail coop. Do quails get bored?
That's very little space, to be honest. I don't know that quail get bored like frankly more intelligent animals, but they start to display certain behaviors when they feel trapped or anxious to get away, e.g. pacing against the walls of their cage, staring at the outside. Comfy quail in most... -
I have a broody hen!
Yay! That's exactly what's going on. Best of luck to you and the little mama! -
Quail broody's
It's a 150 square foot aviary—the roofed, walled section was the first try, which I added the "garden" on to after realizing none of the plants they liked were surviving under the roof. This is the bigger section, the only one the birds have decided to brood in. The grasses get bigger every... -
Quail broody's
For an outdoor cage exposed to the elements, I've found wood mulch and/or chipped bark on dirt to be great at both controlling droppings and avoiding mold. I fully change out my aviary bedding 2-3 times a year and turn it over (scoop and flip, or muss it up with a metal rake) at least every... -
Quail broody's
I really hope they do! But I also don't want to deceive you and say it will happen every year...it took my first hens a year before they felt safe enough to make nests and sit clutches. But the hens who figured it out went on to try every year after, regardless of whether or not I had fertile... -
Quail broody's
Every broody Coturnix I've seen, mine or otherwise, was on clean bedding with lots of space and places to hide. I'm not sold on the idea that broodiness has been "bred out" of these birds. What if the reason we don't see brooding often is because few people keep Coturnix in an environment... -
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Quail broody's
They all sat diligently the whole time, and made peculiar calls when the babies hatched. Aside from the first mama (who seemed to sometimes forget that her babies were not in fact weird little mice), all three were excellent mothers. Sheltered chicks, led them to food and water, tidbitting for... -
Quail broody's
I've had three natural hatches in my aviary—all the quail in my curent flock were hatched under their broody Coturnix mothers. -
Quail attacked by another quail
They have nowhere to hide, no means of self-separating from aggressive behavior. Whatever you raise them for, they'll likely do it better in a bigger cage with more "furniture." And quail don't need to learn anything from chickens—they're running their own "program." If that male is aggressive... -
CELADON QUAIL??????!!!!!!!!
I've seen a spectrum of brown-to-gray for the wild-type (regular gene expression) pharaoh pattern, can't tell you which is most "normal." The only birds I've seen change pattern or color have been the pearls, who seem to lose and gain spots between molts. -
Quails hatching their own eggs?
A chunk of my standard-size Coturnix flock goes broody every year, and I've been letting them hatch out for the last few years. I'd put most of down to an environment that minimizes aggression and maximizes feelings of safety—a planted aviary with lots of hidey-holes and a roomy bird density. -
CELADON QUAIL??????!!!!!!!!
Just looks like a heavy bloom. I've had hens "spatter coat" eggs now and again. Here's a clutch with a couple bloom-heavy eggs in the top corners, next to two celedon eggs. -
How do I encourage my Coturnix quail to go Broody? (Spring Brooding Project, draft page)
Their cage could do with a cleaning, but that looks like broody behavior to me! -
Quail Aviary 2.0
Thank you! Opal may be my last photogenic bird—the others are downright feral 🙃 -
Quail Aviary 2.0
Getting ready for winter. Took the pumpkins out yesterday. Tarping up the "old aviary" and filling it with straw. Birds seem happy.