broody quail

[peafowl_Lover]

Is it common for a quail to go broody. I would like to let them hatch chicks.
Thanks

 

[Noraaaaa]

I dont think its as common as chickens.

 

[Nabiki]

It is very rare with coturnix quail. The more natural the environment you can create, the more likely it is to happen, but even if one does go broody, there is a good chance that she will quit halfway through, or if she does hatch the chicks, won't be a good mother.

 

[Susan Skylark]

They’ve been so bred for eggs and productivity they’ve lost most of their maternal instincts, it would be like expecting a commercial layer hen to go broody, possible but highly unlikely. Holsteins (commercial dairy cows) want to lick something, anything when they near giving birth, they’ll lick straw, claim another cows calf, whatever, after she gives birth she’ll lick the calf a bit but doesn’t get too bothered when they are separated or if you toss two more strange calves in with her (as a nurse cow). Beef breeds, which are bred in part for their mothering abilities are a whole other critter, most won’t accept a calf not their own without human help (and sometimes not even then) while you also need to be careful around new calves because mom can sometimes get a little feisty! Broodiness reduces the number of eggs a hen can lay thus reduces productivity so if you are most interested in egg production you are selecting against broodiness, but most beef producers don’t want to raise calves on a bucket or bottle so they select cows that are good mothers thus selecting for maternal instincts. It all comes down to what a particular breed/species/line is selectively bred for, if anything!

 

[peafowl_Lover]

Their pen is quite natural. Lots of hay, a dust bath, wood shavings, branches, flower pots on their side (their favourite spot to lay. So hopefully they might sit. I'm wanting some more quail as I only have 2 hens as my favourite hen got killed by a cat Sunday

 

[bookervet]

Their pen is quite natural. Lots of hay, a dust bath, wood shavings, branches, flower pots on their side (their favourite spot to lay. So hopefully they might sit. I'm wanting some more quail as I only have 2 hens as my favourite hen got killed by a cat Sunday

I finally just built a large aviary for my quail. Like your, mine is very natural with lots of plants to hide under. My quail never went broody in the coop. I watched them in their new home almost immediately start laying eggs in common nests. I felt like they must be preparing, because in the cage they laid their eggs all over the place, never in nests. Well, it didn't take long - after just a few weeks in the new aviary, I have a broody hen who has been sitting on a large clutch of eggs for a little over a week now. I am so excited and super hopeful this hatch will happen and she will be a good mom.