Broody for the forth time in a row. Do I stop her?

[Serin]

That may hold true for cage birds, but I've seen poultry die on the nest from brooding for too long. Silkies are notorious for that, but other breeds of poultry/game birds will do it too. Unlike finches and other cage birds, poultry and game birds do not have mates that will feed them enough to survive and/or thrive on.

My button cock brings food to the sitting hen, is this unusual?

He will bring her crumbles or mealworms until she is stuffed.

 

[Quailobsessed]

If you have an incubator handy and you want the chicks, then you can set the eggs.

Out of curiosity, what are the mutations and ages of the pair? Males' fertility drops markedly at a year.

I have an incubator, I might finish the incubating since she's already started.

The hen is a cinnamon, the cock is a Darth Vader. They are about 1 year old (13 months) but she's had a poor hatch the whole time I've had them.

Their offspring:
1 golden pearl hen
1 cinnamon pearl hen
1 white winged pied hen
1 cinnamon chick (could be cinnamon pearl, but can't tell yet)
2 chicks have died as chicks, cinnamons (again could be pearls, but not sure)

Their offspring appear to be healthy, in fact, two have survived being rejected, chilling, almost dying but making a full recovery.

 

[blackoaktammy]

My button cock brings food to the sitting hen, is this unusual?

He will bring her crumbles or mealworms until she is stuffed.

That is very unusual.

The physiology of finches and hookbills is very different from poultry. Males regurgitate the contents of their crop directly into the hens mouth, the same way they feed chicks. They will sometimes (depending on the species) share the brooding duties, which allows the hen to get off the nest to get food and water. For the most part, poultry do not do this. But, I know a gal in England who has two pairs of buttons living together, and they all share nesting duty and raise the chicks as a family. There are always exceptions to every rule. Exceptions should not be anyone's guidepost, though. In general, it is not healthy for poultry to be broody for an extended length of time.

 

[blackoaktammy]

I have an incubator, I might finish the incubating since she's already started.

The hen is a cinnamon, the cock is a Darth Vader. They are about 1 year old (13 months) but she's had a poor hatch the whole time I've had them.

Their offspring:
1 golden pearl hen
1 cinnamon pearl hen
1 white winged pied hen
1 cinnamon chick (could be cinnamon pearl, but can't tell yet)
2 chicks have died as chicks, cinnamons (again could be pearls, but not sure)

Their offspring appear to be healthy, in fact, two have survived being rejected, chilling, almost dying but making a full recovery.

For this, I'm guessing the hen is a cinnamon pearl, since pearls are a dominant trait. There has been some discussion in another group I belong to as to whether a red breasted/Darth Vader can be pearl. Some say the genes can't exist together, some say the gene is present, but visually repressed. I have some red breasted I am pretty sure are pearl, but test breeding is the only way to know for sure. My focus is Darth Vaders, and my original males are almost a year old. I really don't want to do test breedings with them in anticipation that their fertility will drop soon.

I'm thinking you may be dealing with two pearls, or your hen just isn't a great sitter, and the embryos are dying.

 

[Quailobsessed]

For this, I'm guessing the hen is a cinnamon pearl, since pearls are a dominant trait. There has been some discussion in another group I belong to as to whether a red breasted/Darth Vader can be pearl. Some say the genes can't exist together, some say the gene is present, but visually repressed. I have some red breasted I am pretty sure are pearl, but test breeding is the only way to know for sure. My focus is Darth Vaders, and my original males are almost a year old. I really don't want to do test breedings with them in anticipation that their fertility will drop soon.

I'm thinking you may be dealing with two pearls, or your hen just isn't a great sitter, and the embryos are dying.

Thanks for the input. I did think the hen may be a pearl. Because this has happened three times in a row and she does seem to be a good sitter, maybe I just have two pearls.

What should I do about it? They are really bonded and I highly doubt they will pair with any other quail. I'm planning on giving the hen a rest, but should I stop her from breeding at all? Would the offspring I have be healthy? Sorry for all the questions, I'd just appreciate some advice.

 

[blackoaktammy]

Thanks for the input. I did think the hen may be a pearl. Because this has happened three times in a row and she does seem to be a good sitter, maybe I just have two pearls.

What should I do about it? They are really bonded and I highly doubt they will pair with any other quail. I'm planning on giving the hen a rest, but should I stop her from breeding at all? Would the offspring I have be healthy? Sorry for all the questions, I'd just appreciate some advice.

It really depends on if you want babies from the pair. I don't have any problem switching my quail around with other partners, barring the occasion personality conflict. Switching partners could tell you if you have a infertility issue with one or both birds. You could also do test breeding to see if your male is a pearl. If you keep them together and you want babies from them, I would incubate the eggs yourself. I pull eggs every day to minimize the chance of broody hens. Egg production is linked to protein intake and light. If you want her to stop laying for a while, see if you can reduce her light exposure. If you supplement their protein with mealworms or boiled egg, I would stop that for a while as well (I'm pretty sure I remember you saying you have a good quail feed with the correct protein).

Here are pictures of my pearl hen you can use to compare to your girl.

 

[Quailobsessed]

It really depends on if you want babies from the pair. I don't have any problem switching my quail around with other partners, barring the occasion personality conflict. Switching partners could tell you if you have a infertility issue with one or both birds. You could also do test breeding to see if your male is a pearl. If you keep them together and you want babies from them, I would incubate the eggs yourself. I pull eggs every day to minimize the chance of broody hens. Egg production is linked to protein intake and light. If you want her to stop laying for a while, see if you can reduce her light exposure. If you supplement their protein with mealworms or boiled egg, I would stop that for a while as well (I'm pretty sure I remember you saying you have a good quail feed with the correct protein).

Here are pictures of my pearl hen you can use to compare to your girl. View attachment 1990625 View attachment 1990627

Looking at her patterns I think she probably is a cinnamon pearl hen. One of her daughters looks like your hen but has a white wing bar so she's probably a pearl too. I won't switch partners for now as all my pairs are really bonded and I don't mind if I'm not getting chicks from that pair at the moment. Thanks for all the advice, it's been really helpful.

 

[blackoaktammy]

Looking at her patterns I think she probably is a cinnamon pearl hen. One of her daughters looks like your hen but has a white wing bar so she's probably a pearl too. I won't switch partners for now as all my pairs are really bonded and I don't mind if I'm not getting chicks from that pair at the moment. Thanks for all the advice, it's been really helpful.

You're welcome! Good luck with them!