I know the odds of a broody coturnix making it to term are low, but I'm gonna let her sit.
Actually, the odds are better than you might think. I have had a cortunix hatch and raise chicks a couple of times. The hen was raised by a bantam. That may be why the quail nested naturally, but I'm not sure of that.
I had pictures of the quail hen with chicks, but the pictures were lost when this site changed its format. The hen raised two clutches of ten in two months. After that I lost the hen to a severe storm.
I keep my quail on grass/weeds in a quail tractor, and add lots of enrichment (mostly cover in various forms-brush, branches, an upside down box, etc. They're very, very happy birds. This one has been accumulating eggs for a few days since I've been busy hatching and haven't collected. She's got a lovely dirt nest she dug out for herself. And now she sits.
I did not have the pair in a big pen and when I saw the male constantly driving the hen off the nest I removed the male to bachelor quarters. Watch your male as you might have to remove him if you want the hen to hatch successfully. When she starts to brood she will try to build a nest around and under the eggs. If possible, put some straw/dried grasses near where the eggs are. If the bird is serious about brooding you should see nest building fairly soon. Should you do this be quick and unobtrusive as you can-spread the grasses out where they can be reached from the nest, but not in a pile and not too much at a time. It's rather fun to watch the nest construction because it can get quite elaborate. Quail, unlike other birds, build their nest after the eggs are laid. I've also had button quail nest and brood; their behavior is the same.
When I tried to collect the eggs earlier today, she got very upset. So I'll leave them. They're very warm. She's clearly been sitting on them all night. This should be interesting.
Any of y'all ever had a quail hen bring a batch of eggs to hatch?
