baby quail hatching

[shannonrae]

I have a mother hen who just hatched out 10 or more baby chicks. all seem to be fine but any pointers on how to proceed? i have mashed up food and water in for them but do i need to do anything else. they are in an outdoor pen will she keep them warm enough?

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC and the quail forums!

Are you talking about chicken chicks, or quail chicks? This is the quail section, so if you are speaking of chickens, you might get more responses in the chicken sections.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/11/raising-baby-chicks

However you will need to watch this hen closely. Not all hens make good mothers, especially new ones. If she appears know what she is doing, then let her do her thing. However watch that she does not hurt the babies and is brooding them properly. If you think she is not doing her job, then you may need to remove them and brood them yourself.

Again, you will get more responses if you post this in the chicken section.

 

[shannonrae]

they are definately baby bobwhite quail and mother is being the best mother hen. will she keep them warm enough?

 

[TwoCrows]

Is this a chicken hen that hatched them? How interesting! Many people ask this question as to whether chickens can hatch quail eggs. Many times the chicken will crush the eggs, unless the hen is small. Silkies can sometimes hatch out quail. To her, these babies are chickens. She won't know the difference. Just keep an eye on everybody. I have never done this before with quail and hens. So I can't tell you what to expect. When the Bobs get old enough, I do not know if they will stick close to mom or even get lost. Unlike chicken chicks, quail are pretty wild yet. Quail need to be confined. No free ranging as they will free range only once and you never see them again. And they don't come back for treats or when called!

So this is entirely your call as to whether you want to take the chicks away or let her brood them. If she is a good momma, she should be able to keep them warm enough. Be careful with water fonts as quail fall in and drown very easily. So you will need to put some stones or marbles in the water font at quail height so they can't fall in and raise up a regular water font for the hen so she can drink. Quail are notorious for drowning.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[shannonrae]

It is a quail hen mama. They are in a confined space with ground baby food and a waterer with small trough i used for ordered baby quail. I have fifteen quail starting that are a month old. I have three adults from last year and this female decided to set and i let her. She is being a goid mama but im watching her clise

 

[TwoCrows]

Wow...I guess I just assumed it was a chicken hen as it is quite rare for quail to go broody, let alone stick with it long enough to hatch babies!

Well do keep us posted on the progress. How exciting! Oh, and watch the other quail in that they don't try to hurt the babies.

 

[shannonrae]

mama and babies are doing great. one was poking its sweet little face out from under her to peek at me. so adorable. haven't lost any yet and she moves for water they run ahead and investigate till she is done. they drink and eat and scurry right back under her. i would do pics but it is a small area and i have it secluded so the two others don't go in there. this is very exciting. i ordered and received 20 babies just when she decided to set. they are now teenagers and i moved them out of the starter box into a larger environment. this way if mom and babies need more protection or even just the babies the space is available. Just love these delicate little birds.

 

[Sycamore27]

Kudos! Sounds like their doing great so far!
Best of luck, hope to see pictures eventually!
Jessie

 

[TwoCrows]

Very exciting! I would love to watch the "real thing" in action. I have never had it happen with any of my hens.

 

[SilkieMomPoof]

Wow! I've been told by everyone that domestic quail just don't go broody, but it seems that in your case, it worked out! congratulations! I hope I am as lucky as you with mine!