what if you put a Japanese quail Hen in the Brooder with Chicks, will she get clucky and learn to be a mommy? hmmm... Anyone think this has a chance? I'm curious if it could work or no chance?? I have Japanese quail, but no chicks at this stage... I just wonder why they are reknowned for not sitting on their eggs... button quail have no problem! Actually I was thinking that during "pipping" stage to place eggs direct to brooder with HEN, see what happens? Anyone done this?? Any comments most welcome, thx
Once I put an injured female with some days old chiks and she did very well , even some of the babys slept under her. But I also tried an injured male and he was very mean to all the chicks so i guess females will do good but males will not just keep an eye on them
Good way to risk the lives of your chicks... Safer to just put a lamp over them. As for button quail, not all of them make good mothers either. Many will go broody. Some will sit through til hatch. Some will kill the chicks...
Well my point is not to risk the lives of chicks, but just wondered if Japanese Quail can rediscover some broodiness/parenthood etc... you read many things here like quails live for 9 years!?? Some will sit on eggs (not believing this!!) etc etc... so if anyone had some kind of success or trial then I'd have a go too! cheers
I'm Not So Sure They Have "lost" The Drive To Brood So Much As They Arent Being Kept In Condusive Environments... There Are Many Stories Of Sucessful Coturnix Broods/ Hatches By Mamma... Almost All Are In More Natural Surroundings. So If Your An Experimental Type Of Soul Build A Ground Pen, Plant It With Tall Grasses And Let Them Grow And Then Place Some Quail In There And See...
You will get a better hatch rate from an incubator than a broody coturnix! You can take that to the bank, and cash it like a check! Anything that anyone considers QUAIL, are not chickens. The first rule of game birds/ Quail is to stop thinking CHICKEN. You can teach/train a coturnix to peck out the "Star Spangled Banner" on a tiny piano, given enough time and money, but if you are serious about raising coturnix, then you need a good bator,brooder, and STOP THINKING CHICKEN! Just my opinion
