Broody Coturnix Quail

[Lemon88]

I previously posted a thread about my quail having stopped laying, but I have recently discovered six eggs she was hiding in the Aspen shavings. It seemed like a 'nest' so I gave her a bunch of hay and put the eggs in it and she immediately sat on them. She has been sitting on them for about a day now. She is kept in a rabbit hutch with one male as she is my only female and I don't want her to be lonely. I don't know what prompted her to go broody, whether it be having no competing females, seeing the natural landscape of my yard, lots of sun, or the deep aspen bedding, but I am extremely happy at the possibility of chicks.

A few questions:
Should I separate her from the male?
Can the chicks eat normal game bird feed just ground up? They are all currently on chicken feed but since I have found a place that carries game bird feed I am buying that.
Can I just leave them with the hen or should I put them in a brooder?

 

[Ebony Rose]

You are incredibly blessed to have a broody quail hen!
Yes, the chicks can eat normal game bird feed, ground up to almost a powder. Chicken feed has inadequate protein and incorrect balance for the needs of your quail. A 'lifetime' diet of it will drastically reduce their lifetime and have seriously negative effects on their health over time. Once hatched, I'd leave them with momma, with luck, you will end up with more broody hens down the road (nurture vs nature?). As for the cock, if she's happy with him there, then I'd leave him there.

 

[Lemon88]

You are incredibly blessed to have a broody quail hen!
Yes, the chicks can eat normal game bird feed, ground up to almost a powder. Chicken feed has inadequate protein and incorrect balance for the needs of your quail. A 'lifetime' diet of it will drastically reduce their lifetime and have seriously negative effects on their health over time. Once hatched, I'd leave them with momma, with luck, you will end up with more broody hens down the road (nurture vs nature?). As for the cock, if she's happy with him there, then I'd leave him there.

I know! I was quite excited because I knew it wasn't common. I don't have an incubator, I borrowed one to hatch out my current birds, so it's nice to have a hen to hatch out a few eggs. I knew they needed game bird feed, but was just using layer feed as a backup unail I could get game bird feed. Hopefully her daughters will hatch clutches of their own as well. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Chrissydney]

I previously posted a thread about my quail having stopped laying, but I have recently discovered six eggs she was hiding in the Aspen shavings. It seemed like a 'nest' so I gave her a bunch of hay and put the eggs in it and she immediately sat on them. She has been sitting on them for about a day now. She is kept in a rabbit hutch with one male as she is my only female and I don't want her to be lonely. I don't know what prompted her to go broody, whether it be having no competing females, seeing the natural landscape of my yard, lots of sun, or the deep aspen bedding, but I am extremely happy at the possibility of chicks.

A few questions:
Should I separate her from the male?
Can the chicks eat normal game bird feed just ground up? They are all currently on chicken feed but since I have found a place that carries game bird feed I am buying that.
Can I just leave them with the hen or should I put them in a brooder?

Hey, its so amazing to hear that such a thing happened, just wondering did you end up with babies who grew up and demonstrated the same behaviour as their mun?

 

[Chrissydney]

Mum**

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

I think @Lemon88 posted the outcome here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/quail-not-laying.1310281/#post-21411428

The hen started sitting, then gave up.

 

[Quail 66]

Hi. I thought it was a recent post. I'm interested too. My hen went broody once but she gave up after a few days. I was a newb and made it difficult for her. Was her attempt successful?

 

[Quail 66]

I think @Lemon88 posted the outcome here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/quail-not-laying.1310281/#post-21411428

The hen started sitting, then gave up.

Ups, pity

 

[Lemon88]

It is really unfortunate, she eventually gave up on the eggs sadly. Even worse, the latch on her hutch broke and she escaped and was sadly gotten by a dog. She was my favorite quail and is dearly missed.