Broody Hen!

[JayZay]

So our quail hen "Pajamas" has been sitting on eggs for roughly a week now. She rarely leaves the eggs and so we gave her a separate feeder and waterer in her corner. I think she is sitting on about 15 eggs. The eggs are nested in a dug out section of earth behind a stump, and she is surrounded by some vegetation that we have hanging down from the aviary. We've noticed eggs being laid in this spot in the past, but have never had anyone sit on the eggs.
We've also noticed that Pajamas is very protective of the eggs, especially with our dominant hen, "severus". She will make an interesting kind of squawk with her beak wide open, and has even chased other quail out of the nesting area and around the aviary .

Just wondering if anyone else has had a quail go broody and sit on eggs, and do you think it is possible that Pajamas could sit on the eggs long enough to successfully hatch them? Every time I have ever felt the eggs they have been nice and warm.

Interesting to hear what people think,
Thanks for reading.

-Jason

 

[sylviethecochin]

I've never had quail, but with chickens and ducks, I like to put the entire nest in a rubber feed-pan so that the nest remains shaped around the eggs and they're covered on all sides. I never want to see the eggs poking out from under the hen--that means she isn't covering/able to cover them right. Maybe something to think about, if your temps aren't constantly in the high 80's.

Good luck on your hatch!

 

[Stayc]

adorable pic. good luck on the hatch

 

[DK newbie]

Every now and then people post stories on here about broody cots that manage to hatch chicks, so it does happen, though it's pretty rare. It usually happens in aviaries with lots of natural cover.
Prepare to move mom and chicks to another enclosure if/when they hatch - the other quail might not like the chicks and the enclosure might have too many dangers for them.

 

[Broodygranny]

Cute! Let us know how it goes.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Jason,
Congratulations on the broody. Only quail that I have, that have gone broody are Bobwhites, Gambel, and Button. Some actually set until hatch.
Wish you the best with your broody, keep us informed of her progress!

 

[Erkenstein]

Sweet girl. We're going to need to see more pics in 10 days!

 

[Rudy93013]

I was getting ready to post something similar. Except that mine has also taken in a bunch of chicks i incubated. She has been protecting them along w her eggs!

 

[JayZay]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I noticed today that she has taken some of the grass clipping that were thrown in the aviary and added them to the nest. She is still all fluffed up and sitting on the eggs. I've noticed a few times now that she'll change her sitting position every now and then and use her beak to tuck the outer eggs underneath her - really cool to watch.

I'll definitely keep everyone posted!

 

[JackBaker]

I have had two broody Japanese quail hens, my first one who raised her chicks fine and the second one who got spooked off her eggs by my dog . When they actually want to they make superb mothers and teach the chicks so well. When I was looking for information there was none on what to do with a broody quail but all on raising them yourself. So this is what I learnt.

Mum will not take kindly to your interference so minimum contact should be made until the chicks hatch. Depending on where she lays the eggs the chicks may struggle to get to the nest once they have hatched and start to follow mum. If you notice the chicks cannot get back to the nest for what ever reason you will need to find a way of keeping them there as for about the first few days mum will return to the area where she incubated the eggs and leave the chicks if they can not get their. I would also recommend getting mini mealworms or some other very small insect and putting it in as the mother will gather them and teach the chicks to eat better with live insects. When the chicks start to hatch mum will be getting off and back on the other eggs, and I believe this is to get the young ones walking. Do not remove the other eggs as she is still sitting on them and will return to them shortly.

I hope this helped and please keep us updated. I love quail baby's and broody mommas. I do not brood the chicks myself and only let the hens do it if they want to. It is so rewarding to watch and great experience. Good luck.