Coturnix Quail Gone Broody!

[ManitobaQuail]

I don' know but I would think so...to keep other birds from bothering them.

How long have the actually be sitting on the eggs?


I know when I go to collect my evening eggs I often find a bird or two sitting on them but they are not broody just because they are sitting on them.

Have your birds been sitting on them non stop?

They've been sitting on them for about a week now. They're always there every time we check. There's actually 3 different piles of eggs in three different corner in the enclosed, sanded area.

 

[ManitobaQuail]

I don' know but I would think so...to keep other birds from bothering them.

How long have the actually be sitting on the eggs?


I know when I go to collect my evening eggs I often find a bird or two sitting on them but they are not broody just because they are sitting on them.

Have your birds been sitting on them non stop?

Actually now I think about it, I can probably candle a couple of them tonight to see if there's any development!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Would it be possible for you to move the non broody birds into the other hutch?

 

[ScoutingInTheWoods]

Am I supposed to separate them? We do have a different hutch but also didn't want to move them in case they stop sitting on the eggs in a new environment.

Yes you want to separate them unless the other birds arent bothering them. But they seem to only be broody if they are in a more natural environment. A good sign if they are broody is if they built a nest.

 

[ManitobaQuail]

Candled 5 eggs and 3 seemed to have some kind of development going on. Best estimate would be around the 6 to 10 day mark. We haven't separated them any of them yet because they seem ok at their corners.

We will probably just put some straws around their corners and let them be for now

 

[ManitobaQuail]

Would it be possible for you to move the non broody birds into the other hutch?

Good idea. Might do that if we notice any issues. But they also tend to get stressed when I move their mates around. Since they are all happy and just carrying on with their normal life...we will leave them for now

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Good idea. Might do that if we notice any issues. But they also tend to get stressed when I move their mates around. Since they are all happy and just carrying on with their normal life...we will leave them for now

 

[DK newbie]

Unless you can be there to keep watch of them most of the time from day 16 to day 18, I'd try to remove the others, as gently as possible. Chances are the chicks will get pecked to death, trampled or just try to follow a bird that won't let them sit under it, for so long that they die from cold, if you leave the others there.
I've only heard of one instance where someone successfully moved mother quail and her nest without causing her to abandon the nest, and that was an indoor pet quail.

 

[ManitobaQuail]

Unless you can be there to keep watch of them most of the time from day 16 to day 18, I'd try to remove the others, as gently as possible. Chances are the chicks will get pecked to death, trampled or just try to follow a bird that won't let them sit under it, for so long that they die from cold, if you leave the others there.
I've only heard of one instance where someone successfully moved mother quail and her nest without causing her to abandon the nest, and that was an indoor pet quail.

Thanks for the heads up! I'll move the others away probably on day 15. Hopefully it won't affect the mothers-to-be too much

I definitely think if I moved the broody ones they will definitely stop sitting on the eggs.

 

[Kiki]

Get some pictures please.
I've not yet seen a quail broody.