I know, bad idea, but my hen became broody for her first time about a week and a half ago and was sitting on 2 infertile eggs. I decided to give her some fertile eggs but all I had that were fertile were cotournix quail eggs. I read on here that folks use silkies to brood cotournix eggs and though my hen is about double the size of a silkie she is a gentle giant. Later that day my neighbor gave me a few of her Easter Egger eggs that might be fertile (she has one roo for a large flock of hens). My other hens then proceeded to bug her on the nest and break one of the EE eggs and several of the quail eggs. I moved her to her own pen and she has not broken a single egg since (thought the quail eggs might just be too fragile but she seems to be handling). So now she has 3 EE eggs and 5 cotournix quail eggs- all of which she has been sitting on since easter Sunday (1 week) Sooo.... the question is. If by some magic all the eggs are fertile and she sticks to her diligent incubation- what do I do about the different hatch dates? I intend to take the quail out as soon as I find them hatched and put them in a brooder- If I do this will she continue to sit on the EE eggs for their full term? Or will the little quail hatching (around day 18) turn her broody switch to off and she will abandon the chicken eggs(before their 21 days)? I tried to candle the EEs but they are very thick shelled and green and I couldnt see a thing. The last quail egg that broke did have a developing chick inside (or at least the very begining of one). Advice?
(and yes I have read all of the concerns about chicken diseases killing quail and chickens killing quail but figured I didn't have much to loose because I have quail eggs coming out my ears and no incubator)
Sorry for the long description- would love input!
Also here is a pic of her set up (put her in a hutch so my other 2 hens would stop bugging her) - am I doing anything wrong (other than combining 2 species eggs under her)? I have since put newspaper on the bottom over the wire. This was a rare occasion when she budged from the nest- I dont think she has even gotten up for a drink of water in the past coupla days.
(and yes I have read all of the concerns about chicken diseases killing quail and chickens killing quail but figured I didn't have much to loose because I have quail eggs coming out my ears and no incubator)
Sorry for the long description- would love input!
Also here is a pic of her set up (put her in a hutch so my other 2 hens would stop bugging her) - am I doing anything wrong (other than combining 2 species eggs under her)? I have since put newspaper on the bottom over the wire. This was a rare occasion when she budged from the nest- I dont think she has even gotten up for a drink of water in the past coupla days.
