Another broody quail and chicks

[Lilyofsalen]

So this one didn't hatch her chicks but adopted them from the incubator. I noticed that most of the eggs I had given her to sit on had failed about a week and a half in. I had a small hatch going in the incubator so I slid a chick under her at night then I came back about a half-hour later and noticed she was responding to the chick's peeping. I removed her and the chick from the aviary and into private quarters then added the rest of the chicks from the incubator. She adopted all 8 of them and the next morning another pair of newly hatched chicks from a friend.
I think I am really liking the adoption method. The last time I put a barrier up around a hatching nest in the aviary, the broody spooked and lost interest causing most of the hatching chicks to die in shell even after I put them in my incubator. This way might work much better with my shy broodies. Actually the same hen I scared off is broody again so I will be trying this with her fingers crossed it works.

Video:

 

[orloffer]

They are so cute! I love the pictures. How often do your quail hens go broody?

 

[Lilyofsalen]

There is almost always at least one broody in the aviary. Sometimes two or three.

 

[Nabiki]

I have Grandma. I was going to retire her when the power went out and I had a bunch of newly hatched chicks in the brooder. I put her in with them, and she did great. Instead of retiring to freezer camp, she gets to live the rest of her life taking care of babies.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

More broody quail . . . Also, the hen pictured in my older post above (now named Ladybug) is setting eggs for the second time this season. I have started swapping eggs that are just about to hatch into the incubator, having them hatch there, and then having the hen adopt chicks (starting with one to see how things go). It has been working really well. For those who think that is a little extreme, I have found that some broody hens abandon the nest after I put up a barrier. That and it's getting harder to set any kind of barrier without breaking stuff/blocking stuff/overcrowding aviary. The "swap and adopt" method is my favorite and I will be using it for all broody hens in the future.

Roselina and her 12 chicks. Using the "swap and adopt method" she got a %100 hatch rate as 12/12 chicks hatched!

Silver scarlet hen:

 

[Lilyofsalen]

More:

 

[Lilyofsalen]

Roselina has hatched some celadon chicks:

 

[DK newbie]

I'm really curious now. Could you share some pics of the enclosure that makes all those hens go broody? It's really awesome that they do

 

[Lilyofsalen]

This one has sat on about 14 eggs for 17 days but unfortunately, none have developed. It is the end of the breeding season currently so I suppose that's why none developed. I hope she tries next year.

This one will probably be my last broody for the season, hopefully at least a few of the eggs hatch.

 

[FloorCandy]

I had a silver brooding outside, I brought her and the eggs inside, but after a day, my son threw a ball and knocked some stuff over near the cage and she got up and wouldn’t go back, i nudged her back several times, but no good, I brought Mihawk in and she went right to sit on them, and I took the other hen away, but I checked a few days later and they all had no development or a red ring. It’s getting cold, they’re less committed.