Chicken caregiver?

[bigredshaverhen]

Hi guys I have 4 Japanese quail eggs under my sisters broody chicken( She also has chicken eggs under her), they are due to hatch any day now so just wondering would they be fine with the hen outside in a hutch tomorrow, as I am going away for the day? Hen is a small bantam thingy, not really sure.

Thanks!

 

[bigredshaverhen]

Any info?

 

[DK newbie]

Lots of different experiences about hatching quail eggs under chickens - I've never tried, but from old posts on this forum and elsewhere, sometimes everything is fine, sometimes the hen squashes the chicks, sometimes the hen doesn't recognize the quail chicks as her offspring, sometimes the chicks don't recognize the hen as their mother (personally I find that unlikely, if she hatched them and she is warm I don't think they care one bit about what sounds she make or what she looks like). And sometimes quail catch diseases from chickens. With a bantam, I guess she is less likely to squash the chicks, but lots of things could go wrong, even if the hen does a good job. They could drown in the water, for instance. Or get stuck in some little crack somewhere. So I can't really tell you "they'll be fine, don't worry".. But they might.

 

[bigredshaverhen]

Ok thanks, but should I block the door to the run?

 

[TwoCrows]

Keep a very close eye on this situation. Quail chicks hatch slightly bigger than a bumble bee. Chicken momma's, bantams or not, can crush the tiny quail babies. Quail need more heat than chicken chicks and really need to be on very high protein compared to chicken chicks. The first week or two of a quail's life are critical in that they need to be fed properly to develop healthy brains, organs, egg laying machines and over all growth patterns.

I personally would remove these babies at hatch and brood them myself in a brooder. I am sure others have had successful experiences with leaving chicks with a broody chicken, I tend to be a worry wart.