Broody coturnix hen!

[Gigachad poultry]

Recently one of my coturnix hens PipPip was moving some dead grass and other random plant pieces around my aviary and was taking them all over. I wasn't sure where she was half the time and suddenly I saw little to no birds over where my feed bin is. Which is unusual, because I normally sprinkle food around it for them to forage for. I later found out PipPip had made a nest in-between the feed bin and a old table I use for extra cages. It has plastic panels on the side and I guess she thought it was a safe place to build a nest. She has also been super protective over the area. She has been incubating wierd though. She only shifts the eggs every 40 minutes or so but rarely sits on them, only at night time. It gets really hot in the day and I'm guessing she doesn't feel the need to sit on them constantly. I'll send a photo soon.

 

[Nabiki]

Coturnix sometimes start off acting broody but give up along the way. Keep an eye on her, and if you think the eggs are developing, you may want to have an incubator ready. If she's good and actually hatches them, you may also want to have a brooder ready in case she's not a good mother or the others decide to pick on the chicks.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

Coturnix sometimes start off acting broody but give up along the way. Keep an eye on her, and if you think the eggs are developing, you may want to have an incubator ready. If she's good and actually hatches them, you may also want to have a brooder ready in case she's not a good mother or the others decide to pick on the chicks.

Ok I keep seeing her checking on the eggs and turning them. Where I live it's become soo hot out of nowhere the eggs don't get cold and like I said she always sits on them during the night. I will keep checking on her and I can candle them tonight.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

I got a picture while she was turning them. I startled her and she ran off, but quickly went back to them and started turning them and sat on the for ten to fifteen minutes until I saw her panting like crazy.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

She eventually got off her nest, but I've been seeing that every time she gets off the nest she gently covers the eggs a bit with nesting material and leaves. I have a question, is she trying to cover her eggs to keep them hidden or just to keep them warm?

 

[Ital]

I suspect probably both but who knows? Possibly not even her. I had a wild duck nesting here this year and she did the same whenever she went for a swim, this is her on hatch day..

Might be an idea to put a few fresh eggs in the incubator and switch them with any duds she’s sitting on just before they hatch?

 

[le_bwah]

She eventually got off her nest, but I've been seeing that every time she gets off the nest she gently covers the eggs a bit with nesting material and leaves. I have a question, is she trying to cover her eggs to keep them hidden or just to keep them warm?

I've seen my broodies do a similar behavior. Since it's probably not doing much for warmth, my bet is adding a bit of camo.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

I've seen my broodies do a similar behavior. Since it's probably not doing much for warmth, my bet is adding a bit of camo.

Ok I suspected it was that but I was just wondering yot was her not caring for them properly. Great to know that this seems to be common behavior.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

So I decided to candle some of the eggs tonight and these are two that I candled that I saw some life in. I didn't want to disturb her to much so I only candled three one sadly was infertile and had no veins developing.

 

[Gigachad poultry]

So lil update I came back to her nest and she was kicked off by another hen while some eggs were hatching. Sadly alot didn't make it out the egg and for the ones that did they were attacked by the other jumbo hen that kicked the broody hen off the nest. There is just one egg left that looks to be okay and is still developing around day 14-16 not sure when it will hatch, but I moved it the three other hen and I'm keeping an eye on the roo. Although he doesn't seem to be agressive and actually seems to be taking care of her and he's sitting down next to the feed bin stopping other birds from going near. She luckily is continuing to sit on the one egg after I removed the other chicks that passed away.