Another broody quail and chicks

[DK newbie]

Thank you for the pictures! It's strange that some people say cots won't use nests at all, when yours seem really fond of those plant pot (I assume that's what they are?) nests. Guess I should make some for mine.. Though they are getting old, I'm not even sure they will even lay anymore eggs.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

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.

I live in SoCal so cold normally isn't an issue. Can infertile eggs have an air cell? It looks like all the eggs mine was sitting on never developed past 2 days if at all.

You've moved a broody and her nest before? How did you do this successfully? It seems broody quail are quite easily scared off the nest. I've never thought it could actually be moved.

 

[FloorCandy]

I live in SoCal so cold normally isn't an issue. Can infertile eggs have an air cell? It looks like all the eggs mine was sitting on never developed past 2 days if at all.

You've moved a broody and her nest before? How did you do this successfully? It seems broody quail are quite easily scared off the nest. I've never thought it could actually be moved.

I put bedding in a bin and I made an indent for the eggs, I ran long grasses around the rim of the indent, and I put the eggs in. I carried them inside, and I put the hen in the bin, then nudged her onto the nest, and she did everything else herself. She’s very very tame. When the chicks were pooping in the nest, she let me take out the poo, and would even drop dry pieces into my hand. She also allowed me to touch and hold the chicks, and didn’t get worried or call them back until I set them down. I also gave her a runt from an older litter, when hers were a few days old. She welcomed it and treated it like her others.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

I put bedding in a bin and I made an indent for the eggs, I ran long grasses around the rim of the indent, and I put the eggs in. I carried them inside, and I put the hen in the bin, then nudged her onto the nest, and she did everything else herself. She’s very very tame. When the chicks were pooping in the nest, she let me take out the poo, and would even drop dry pieces into my hand. She also allowed me to touch and hold the chicks, and didn’t get worried or call them back until I set them down. I also gave her a runt from an older litter, when hers were a few days old. She welcomed it and treated it like her others.

Tame broody hens are always the best. The crazy ones stress me out. The silver scarlet a few posts back actually turned on her chicks after a few days. She hated, hated me. I couldn't clean the pen, replace water, food, or even go near the pen without her freaking and stomping her chicks. She was always in full defensive mode around me and got out while I was cleaning so I had to chase her down. She started nipping at her chicks too so quail child protective services (me) took her chicks away.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

The white and silver hen still hasn't given up sitting on her eggs. I've left them be since the eggs were in no danger of getting nasty (having no development to speak of). I didn't expect her to keep going this long. I thought she would quit after a week past hatch and I would clean out the nest. At this point, I hope she sits a few more days and adopts celadon chicks from my incubator.

Aside from that, my last two successful broody hens are sitting on yet eggs again. Roselina stole Shuna's (the Italian hen) nest. There's also another scarlet hen that decided to nest in the middle of the walkway space instead of a nest cave. I moved her eggs to the nearest nest cave and she seems to have taken to the new spot. Most of my birds are in molt and only a few are laying. The season is coming to an end but geez it seems my broody hens don't care.

 

[Lilyofsalen]

So no more broody hens and chicks, unfortunately. It seems that once a hen sits on eggs that fail to hatch, even though she still sits on the eggs sometimes for weeks afterwards, she isn't actually interested in chicks. I tried to adopt chicks hatched in the incubator to three broody hens whose eggs would never hatch but they were way more interested in continuing to sit on the eggs. I thought that was interesting.

There actually was a broody hen who responded to the attempted adoption. The chicks had been placed under the other hens and had wandered through the dark aviary and into her nest. It was actually quite funny. She was very, very confused and could not decide if they were nest invaders or chicks. She would respond to their cries but growl when they moved beneath her. At one point she got off the nest and a sort of chase was initiated. The chicks would cry and she would come back then run off and the chicks would follow crying. I took the chicks back and destroyed all the active nests. I look forward to having some more broody hens and chicks next year.

On another interesting note, Roselina has a very clear brood patch.