Crazy quail is trying to incubate 30 eggs

[CovidtimeQuail]

Actually, she's really really noisy. I'm not sure how to describe the sound. It's like a constant chortling. She's taking care of the 1 pretty well though. Will send pics in the morning.

 

[Oob Child]

Can we see pictures?

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Can we see pictures?

Soon. It's still too dark in Hawaii to take good pictures. I'm so amazed at how different a quail-hatched chick is. They're already fluffy, not at all cold and shivering, and having just one seems to be okay because it's not lonely. It's got mama. She's still making noises and communicating constantly. So adorable. I just wish there were more chicks.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

I just posted video on a new thread here:
[Mama Coturnix Video]

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Another just hatched in the incubator. I'm going to let it dry, then moment of truth, see if the mama and older chick will accept it.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Another just hatched in the incubator. I'm going to let it dry, then moment of truth, see if the mama and older chick will accept it.

There were 2, I put them in with mama and older chick. Older chick is confused, doesn't know where it gets to sit. So far though, it's okay. No casualties.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

There were 2, I put them in with mama and older chick. Older chick is confused, doesn't know where it gets to sit. So far though, it's okay. No casualties.

Maybe spoke too soon. I took a break, came back and mama was picking on one of them. I took the two littlest ones out, will try to bring them back at dusk to see what happens.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

No luck and 1 more hatched. They're living in the 2nd incubator right now, but I think I'll be bringing them into a brooder before trying to sell them. They are cute! Too bad mama isn't going to let them compete with her only child (that she totally dotes on and can now feed worms to).

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

Another twist. The good news is that all the eggs were developing. The bad news is that this sentence is in past tense.

We were all looking around for the cat, only to find he snuck into the closed room with the incubator and knocked it to the floor. Many of the eggs broke. One had a chick I assisted out. It was too early, so I had to cull it and -- you guessed it -- feed it to the cat (because rewarding bad behavior. . .)

After I day, I came to the conclusion the likelihood these cracked or shaken eggs would develop was low. I chilled the eggs, then made balut (and fed it to the cat.) I guess it was for the better. The eggs were all in different stages of development, so I would have had a lot of work trying to raise just a few clutches at a time.

Just when I thought I had run out of new experiences with quail, something different arises.

 

[Predoggg]

I am sorry to hear about your twist.