Button Quail Sitting on Eggs

[Kassie]

Hi recently brought a new female Button Quail and has already started laying eggs and a month ago decided to incubate them which i was very excited about! although she stopped sitting on her eggs half way through incubation and i took the eggs out and cracked them and found out of 4 two had baby Quails in them ! Dont know if they were dead or alive though, could you explain why she just left her eggs and nest? Then two weeks later she lays 5 eggs in the same nesting spot as last time and is incubating the eggs again and has been sitting on them for over a week so soon to hatch but my worry is she keeps getting off them for a long period of time about 5-15 minutes a couple of time's during the day to go spend time with her parentner and after goes back on them again, do you know why she goes off the eggs for such a long period of time and will they die left that long?

Will keep u updated i hope they do hatch though!

Thanks Kassie

 

[bonnie in indiana]

5 to 15 minutes is a usual time for birds. Button quail are not the greatest of Mothers and if she hatches chicks the parents may kill the young. When I raised Buttons, I never let the female hatch out the chicks, I took the eggs away and incubated them from the beginning or took them away a couple days before hatch day. I got tired of seeing the parents kill the chicks. This was not just one pair. I raised 50+ every couple months for 3 years. Maybe things have changed in the last 10 years.

 

[GrandmaBird]

I agree with Bonnie. I have a pair that the hen sits all the time after laying about 8-10 eggs then she sits for anywhere from 2-10 days then just stops. I figure I will let her keep doing this as at least she gets a break from laying everyday. Now that the winter has arrived she is not laying everyday anyway and I am glad to say she is not sitting on the eggs either.I might incubate some in the spring and raise them again as they are sure fun. good luck with yours.

 

[jensan]

I have a hen setting on eggs too. I hope she hatches them out but even if she doesn't she gets a break from laying.

 

[crazycoop12]

Ok I have the same kind of deal going on. She lays an egg every day for 7 days. I see her setting on them for about 2 days and then she just quits. I have gathered the last two sets of seven eggs and there was nothing in them after 15 days. So she is now with her 3rd male. Like every other time she is laying an egg every day. She has 3 in the same nest. Should I pull them every day as she lays them or should I wait until she misses a day and then gather all of them to put in the incubator. I am brand new to these button quail.

 

[GrandmaBird]

gather them every day and keep them in a cool spot, NOT the fridge it is too cold. They should be rolled several times a day and kept at about 55 degrees f. good luck.

oops i forgot to say that they are only viable for 7 days then they will start to die in the shell so do start incubating before day 7 or on day 7 with 7 or 8 eggs.

 

[crazycoop12]

Awesome! thanks! i pulled the 3 she had laid the last 3 days. i got the incubator fired up and will be incubating when she lays egg #7!